Secrets
by avearia
Summary: After the digidestined defeated the four dark masters and apocolypmon, their parents come to stay with them in the digital world. there's secrets between the children and parents that must get through, some more serious than others... 12th chapter up! R
1. And a Secret

**My Fan fictions: the pages between here and wherever this ends are dedicated to ME! N' my Ideas. Whohoo! If it's lame, don't criticize me. I'm a weird writer. **

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_note: i do not own digimon, seasons one, two, three, four, five, whatever else may come off behind that, any of the videos, characters, digimon, movies, ect. _**

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**Chapter #1: And a secret**

The DigiDestined with sat at a nearby table when the adults walked in. Gennai had not told them their parents were coming to the digital world, but it was a nice surprise. Tk, Kari, Mimi, and Tai had jumped up to greet their parents; the rest had a tough time because of the digimon crowding on their laps.

That's what they wanted them to believe, anyway.

In truth, the others had a tough time with their parents company. Izzy knew they were not his real parents, Matt didn't know his parents well from the divorce, Sora had a tough time with her mother, and Joe had an argument not yet settled about him being a doctor, like the family profession had demanded. Really though, in Joe's mind, He did not yet know if he wanted to become a doctor or not himself. It was a pointless argument that just delayed his thoughts.

The adults, smiling nervously at the digimon, welcomed them with hugs, kisses, and praises of gratitude and love. After defeating the evil digimon that had threatened the digital world AND the human world, no one could expect otherwise from a worried parent, or several, as it seemed.

Once the smothering was over, all eyes turned to the feast set before them. Tummies growled and mouths watered at the sight of the food. Watermelon and grapes in a bowl next to each other. Roasted lamb. Grilled chicken. Thousands upon thousands of rice balls were stacked next to the soup. Chocolate cake had been set out even though it was dessert. Pumpkin pie, cherry pie, banana-cream pie, chocolate silk pie; they all sat with the strange dishes from around the world such as borscht, pho, cayenne dusted, stuffed bell peppers, and other strange things. There was silence for a moment, and then everyone broke out laughing and dug in.

"So how long can we stay?" Tai asked hopefully

"Doesn't matter, it's up to you. The digimon destroyed the school and school board, didn't they? School can wait until winter. They might not even get school started this year, with all the commotion and fear going around. They're afraid that some digimon will come out of nowhere and flame the water tower. I mean, seriously!" Tai's mother looked over at her son and added, "And don't talk with your mouth full, Tai. It's rude."

The kids smiled at the much needed parenting that they were receiving after long days of cooking for themselves, defending their backs and others, and fighting evil digimon. It was nice to sit back and be children for once, instead of Young miniature adults.

Talk was struck between parties, adult- adult, child- child, child-parent, and even digimon- adult. Talks ranged from the weather to the food, from the digital world to home, and from much needed chores to be done at home to jokes they had heard recently. All talks seemed to be light hearted and peppy, enjoying the moment. There were very few serious talks between two of the people there, though they did exist.

"So are you going to tell your parents about…" Joe whispered to Izzy.

"Of course! I couldn't keep it to myself anymore… well… not now, anyway. I'll tell them later, though." Izzy replied, talking softly.

Joe smiled. "And I'll be right there with you if you need me."

"Thanx."

Izzy sat back and thought about their situations. He had been looking through stuff in his father's home work desk, which he wasn't supposed to do. He had seen the paper work, the letter from children services, the documents of the accident, and other such things. How could he not have noticed? He wondered what his parents had been up to, and why the stuff was on the desk. It had struck him, and struck him hard. After a little research it had been confirmed, and he had begun to draw away from the adults living under the same roof as him.

He sighed. This wasn't the time to be depressing. But it was _so_ depressing, the way life went. Joe didn't exactly have a perfect relationship with his father, always wanting to press him to being a doctor. How could Joe be a doctor, though, if his heart wasn't in it? Not to mention if he always threw up at the sight of blood.

Oh well. The time would come. Secrets were important to those who kept them, but those who didn't probably thought nothing of it. He'd waste time worrying over it sometime when his stomach wasn't grumbling over soon-to-be-cold food.

Between Sora and matt there were also whispered secrets. "You are going to have to break the ice between you and your mom, you know." Matt leaned forward in order to not be heard by untrustworthy ears. "As will I, but- any idea how you're going to do it? I need some ideas… on more things than just the divorce."

Sora sighed slightly. "I know. I think I'll tell her how I feel about how she treats me." She set down her cup and looked sharply at him. "Wait… more things than just--" she glanced at him again. "What's that supposed to mean? 'More tension between you all than just the divorce'?" she was panicking slightly, trying to keep her voice down.

Matt winced and mentally kicked himself. _You IDIOT._ He thought to himself. _Do you want her to respect you or not? Don't slip up again!_ He tried to compose himself, looking into her eyes. _She caught that. She's pretty bright. And Pretty cool sometimes. And pretty optimistic. And pretty… ah-_ he caught himself at it again. He shook his head.

"Don't worry about it Sora! It's just something that happened a few years ago." His voice was overly bright. Spooning up a forkful of peas, he added, "You and your mom have other things too. Things that irk you? That's kind of what it's about. Only different." He shoved the peas in his mouth and motioned to her quickly cooling food. "Eat!"

Sora sighed in relief, digging into her mashed potatoes and gravy, a strange dish that Gennai had cooked up. The creamy taste intrigued her, and she couldn't ask for more in a food. Except maybe sweetness.

And matt was sensible. He wouldn't argue about anything dramatic. His style was to play it cool, he would probably do something rational to let them know about his feelings that he kept behind his mask. After all, how could anyone know what he was feeling, when he kept it all locked up behind those icy blue eyes that reminded her of a lake. Or a crystal. _Or sky…_ she started to ramble on in her brain of all the beautiful blue things she could think of. She was on _dolphin's sheen_ when she caught herself at it and sneered at her own folly. She'd been off again. Why didn't anyone stop her when she was doing that? It kind of got scary last time when in her rambling she had compared his hair to "_a god's attempt to make a golden statue that had somehow turned into the perfect boy with golden hair and a golden smile and a golden…"_ that's when she had walked headfirst into a tree.

Matt had made a joke about her being a ditz, but it hadn't had his usual spice behind it… perhaps he was being nice? She had been embarrassed and had decided never to do that again, and here she was rambling off in her head _again_. Thankfully, the memory had been enough to let her watch herself. Oh well.

She knew the crush would run off sooner or later, (even though she had never had one) she was positive. That's how it always went in the book, anyway.

Looking over at him, she saw his perfect body. The perfect way he moved and the perfect way he made jokes that didn't try to hurt (at least, not anymore), it was all there.

Unfortunately, nobody was perfect.

If it hadn't been for his parent's brake- up, Sora wondered if he really would be perfect. The split had caused him to recoil in life, though.

Matt had somehow managed to mature through the ages of 7 to 11 into being the only cook for the group, one of the people who suggested logical ideas (more than you could say for tai if he was out there on his own) and took it rather well when he was shot down constantly, by his friends or his enemies. He was also the one to provide a rational solution when they were under attack, if Izzy hadn't beat him to it already.

His rift between his mother was great, but Sora wondered if it could be surpassed by the relationship with his father, which also seemed to be in flames.

Nancy Takaishi had been the one to take custody of Matt's brother, TK, and his father had been the one to take him. It was obvious that a seven year old in a different town than his mother would not be able to know her as well as the father… but Mr. Ishida was rarely ever home.

You can imagine the way Matt felt about being _alone_.

There had been several instances when his hatred for his parents had shined through his protective barrier, now that she thought about it. His words came back to her in her mind:

"_Wow. You're almost as bright as my mother"_

"_I wouldn't expect too much from an adult anyway. We won't rely on you."_

"_Not your average answer, but hey, it's coming from a Parent. Don't push him; he'll see his mistake before he has to collect his Pension."_

"_You know, there's only one person- make that two- that I respect outside the digi world. Don't worry; I won't make fun of you. I respect doctors."_

She sighed as she remembered these ice-cold remarks he had made. It was typical for him, to be so cruel. No one had noticed the trend until the truth had been revealed- he had some issues with his parents.

That's when everyone pieced everything else together.

A crash woke her out of her dream state of mind. Everyone glared at her dinner partner, who had tried to pick up a bowl of cherries and dropped it all over the floor. Matt blushed slightly and mumbled sorry.

At the same time, the ever-helpful Sora and the embarrassed-beyond-reason Matt bent at the same time to pick up the fallen red disaster on the floor, and were rewarded with a hard smack on the head as blonde and burnet came together in a resounding clash.

That's when everybody close stood up frantically to see where their DigiDestined friends had gone, or to help them out from under the table where they'd fallen...

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After the mess at the dinner table, everyone decided it was best to play in the sprinklers to wash off the excess food; there weren't enough showers for everyone to get clean in the next three hours, much less that much hot water. 

The entire thing kept playing over in Nancy's mind;

_There was a crash at the end of the table. Everyone's head turned to see a slightly blushing Matt freeze in shock from dropping a bowl of cherries. After a second he mumbled an apology and bent over to pick up the fallen food. _

_At the same time Sora, a girl with burnet colored hair and loving attitude bent over to help him with the dish. Their heads collided and down they went, having fallen off their chairs. _

_The girl's mother had stood up suddenly, as did Nancy, her ex husband, TK, and as she thought about it later, virtually everyone else, too…_

_Which is why the table toppled over._

_They had finally found the food soaked children after some confusion, slipping, falling, smearing, pulling, pushing, and throwing (ahem…) of the food and tablecloths, stuck under one another and faces red, as if they had caused the disaster. _

_Well, they had… but there was something different about those blushes. Something familiar… oh well. _

_By this time, food was all over, the dining room was a mess, and everyone had at least one unrecognizable dish in their hair (but with all of the strange dishes, that wasn't very hard) along with a now-edible food encrusted shirt, saggy and stained pants, and completely unrecognizable shoes._

_The giggling had begun, as had the food fight. The food fight, surprisingly, had been started by an adult. She couldn't remember which one, just that the shock of an adult doing a kids dream of announcing a food fight and getting dirty had completely burned into her mind that she was the only one not completely relaxing here. In the end though, she had joined in on the fling (bad pun) and made herself and others considerably more dirty._

_Which is why they were now in their bathing suits and running around the yard under freezing cold water from the sprinkler… _

_With the exception of Matt, Sora and Tai. They had all gotten so coated in the main courses that changing into swimsuits would become a mess that no one wanted to clean up. After all, their clothes did need to get clean, too._

What a time. She hadn't spent this much time goofing off in years! Ever since the divorce…

She didn't want to think about that.

She had just been so _busy_ lately, writing her book and news column and holding that part time job to help pay for the apartment. Holding two jobs was tough, but it rewarded when she got her paycheck. Somehow, it made everything better. She _used _to spend tons of time with little TK, but she had been so overwhelmed lately. It was nice to get a break from the constant stress. It was nice to spend time with her son.

Sons.

Nancy winced at the guilt trip her mind had just given her. _Sons._ Yes she had more than one son, plural, as in two, SONS. It had been a while since she had even glanced at Matt before the DigiDestined-must-save-the-world trip that happened recently.

She had become detached from her son. Matt. She didn't know his birthday, what he liked, what he thought about her, what his favorite color was, where he went to school, how he was doing…

She didn't know _anything_.

Did this mean she was a bad mother? No, of course not. She was just not used to seeing her son, him being in another town and all. She never sent him mail, and vice versa. She had never made an effort to see him, but that thought could be overlapped by the 'I'm busy' train of thought. She had barely ever talked to him, and didn't have any pictures of him besides the one on the fireplace mantle. How was that possible? She had _tons_ of pictures of TK, and she was what one could call a camera-fanatic. She had three in her suitcase at the moment… she could take one of him being soaked by Tai just ten feet from where she was standing.

She chuckled. He _did_ look pretty funny being bombarded by the unmerciful hose-bearing child standing behind him. That face would be something to remember.

Then she had a thought. A good thought in her mind, flowing smoothly from her brain into her conscience and then into her future plans.

She would talk to her husband. Surely he would know. Nancy walked off, finishing the mental note. 'Also, it would be nice to talk to Matt' she finished her thought transmission in her brain. There was nothing that could go wrong. Not in her mind.

Boy was she wrong.


	2. Between Them All

**haya! second chapter up! just hope it isn't too corny. if you're a MIMATO lover, prepared to be dissapointed. but hey, they are a cute couple, I'll grant you that.**

**one thing i'd like you to remember is they are in the digital world... explination next chapter. they are not at gennai's house, which is underwater, but at a made up place in my messed up head that dreamed up this story...**

**also, I do not know the names of the parents. really. so if you do, and you see one of the names wrong, you can copy the thing onto your microsoft word and replace them all with the correct names, whatever... i don't care! just don't complain about it.**_

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_Note:I do not own any of the digimon shows, digimon characters, digimon, ect. Yay for them. _

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**#2: Between them all**

After the bath in the sun, getting the food and drink out of her pores, Sora was ready for a walk. Pulling on her hiking boots, she stepped into the hallway.

Gennai had arranged for each person to have a different room, which was nice. While she loved her mother, her friends, and their parents were nice enough, she had to have some time alone to figure out how she was going to break the news of her discomfort to her mother. And having others around would just make her feel discouraged, confused, and crowded.

Though, she thought, it would be nice to have someone reassuring her if she had to talk with her mother, someone to give her a push if she lost her nerve.

Walking down the endless hallway of doors, she thought about it. Who would she ask?

Who could she ask?

Her thoughts were distracted by a gentle creaking of a door that was not quite shut. She noticed it was Matt's. Peering inside, (she didn't want to be rude, but she just had to know if the door opened by itself, though that was completely illogical) she noticed Yamato standing in front of his mirror.

He was pondering something, his face knit in a thoughtful frown, one he took on often. She stood there for a moment, wondering what he was thinking, when she saw him blush slightly not for the first time that night, as he absent mindedly brushed his lips with his finger as he looked down at his shoes.

Oh.

She had been thinking the same thing, but it had been covered up by her worry. The incident at the dinner table had been completely embarrassing. She opened the door with a slight push of her hand.

Matt pivoted on his back foot at the sound, surprised. He glanced at the mirror one last time and then turned to face Sora.

"Hey, Sora. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing." Was her reply.

"Ah." He fumbled silently, not showing it too much in his expression even though some of his emotions were going unchecked because of his surprise that someone would have been watching him. Opening and closing his fists, she could see the thoughts in his actions, and smiled. He was grappling for words.

"Ah…" he said again, feeling at a loss for words. He really needed a dictionary. Or a thesaurus. Or someone standing on his shoulder whispering in his ear what to say. "D-do you want to… uh…" he glanced at his feet then at hers. "Take a walk?" he had noticed her hiking boots.

Sora blushed. "You're not exactly ready, Matt. But it's ok, I can wait." She sat down on the bed and looked at him.

He frantically waved his hands around for a moment, flustered, and then took a deep breath and disappeared into the closet, coming out soon with his green tank-top and bluejeans on and his boots partially laced. He leaned over, tucking his crest into his shirt, caught a glimpse of outside, and disappeared into the closet again. When he reappeared, he was wearing a long sleeved hooded black shirt instead of the green tank-top.

It was true; it had gotten cold out tonight. It would be dark soon, but she didn't mind. Jumping up, she headed towards the door. "Ready to go, blondie?" she asked playfully.

He smirked. "Whenever you are, bird-brain" he joked playfully. The comment wasn't meant to hurt, and it didn't.

As they left they noticed a red-headed boy turning away from them around the corner. Izzy. He must have been going out for a snack or something, since he was headed towards the kitchen. They stopped and looked after him.

Well, whatever. It didn't matter. All that mattered was getting outside before the sun set. And that meant they didn't have much time, so they set off without a second thought.

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Izzy walked briskly down the hallway with his laptop under one arm and his hand in his pocket. His eyes, cast downward, were clouded with thought. Tentomon, who was walking (buzzing) slowly behind the child was searching his face eagerly, for a sign what he was thinking. His digimon knew that he only wore that thoughtful frown when something was confusing him. And that didn't happen a lot. Finally, impatient, he disrupted the red-head's train of thought. 

"So," he started. "Whacha' thinking about?"

Izzy looked up from the floor he had been staring at but not perceiving with a "huh? What? Ah…"

Tentomon waited patiently for his human to return to reality for a minute before repeating the question. He was amused (or as much as he could be about this) that Izzy had been so wrapped up in a single thought that he lost the world around him.

"Well, you see…" Izzy looked for the words to explain his complex mind.

"It has to do with the others we just saw, right?" Tentomon took a guess at it.

"Oh, yes."

"Was something wrong with it? It seemed like perfectly natural human behavior to me. I mean, except for the stuttering and all." The digimon hovered for a moment. "I just don't get humans, do I?"

"Oh, that's ok. I don't either. I just know more than you because I'm a human myself. You see…" he started the explanation to his digimon.

_Flashback_

_He had been walking down the hallway. One of his friends pointed to some older kids, in the fourth grade. There was a boy standing inside an empty classroom shifting from foot to foot as a girl stood in the doorway, mimicking her partner. Finally they forced some small talk, oblivious to the world around them._

"_So, wanna do something… uh…"_

"_After school?" the other finished_

"_Oh, but you've got detention… but that's ok. I can wait." _

"_Um, oh… right… detention… ah, uh, um…" the boy looked flustered and sat down in his desk, red showing in his cheeks. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you…"_

"_it's Ok. I like waiting for you." She blushed. "That came out funny. Sorry."_

_It was two weeks later they found out the two children had a crush on each other. Maybe that's why they were acting so strange, as if they didn't know each other even though they had been friends since forever._

_And that's the way matt and Sora had been acting just a few moments ago, when he had passed by to go meet Joe outside._

Tentomon looked at Izzy after he was done explaining what his confusion was. "I don't know, but it seems they like each other. But don't tell anyone till we're sure, because I don't want to be spreading rumors. We have to make sure it's bona fide first…"

"Bona fried?"

"Bona _fide._ It means real. We don't know if it's real, it's just a guess, you know."

"What's just a guess?"

Izzy looked around wildly. They had reached the kitchen sooner than he had thought. Joe was standing behind him, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Ah, oh, I'll tell you later…" Izzy made an excuse while walking slowly towards the door.

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Once outside, Joe and Izzy walked quietly. The sun was setting, the sky was growing dark, and the air was cooling before Joe finally spoke up. 

"I think that I'll talk to my dad tomorrow."

"Oh really? That's good."

Silence.

"It would be nice if you were there… to help me… along if I… get stuck."

"Of course, Joe. I'd love to help you if you'd like. Just… what's your strategy?"

Joe looked confused. "Strategy?"

"You know, what are you going to tell him? What are your main points in an argument? You could persuade him in several different ways…" he explained with slight difficulty to make that come out right, "so you can win the argument and still leave you both on a good note?"

Joe fiddled with his watch for a second before mumbling "I really don't know how to fix that. Could you help me?" Blushing, he added "I really don't know about it. My dad just confuses me so much… and I've tried before, in several ways. You're so smart, I bet you know… how to get… my dad to... Listen. For. Once."

Izzy smiled. "Of course I'll help you! I just need a little information before my conclusion… if you'll give me a little inside peek into your thoughts."

Joe nodded. "If it'll give my dad and me the talk we need, and have it not end badly, of course. What would you like to know?"

"Prodigious!" smiling, Izzy went to work.

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Tai stretched, yawning. He had been lying on his back outside, resting in the sun. now that the sun was disappearing over the horizon, he guessed he should be going back. Looking around for his shoes took a minute, as did putting them on, accidentally tying them together, standing up and tripping down the mountains side, and collecting himself before untying and retying his shoes and finding the direction he tried to go was not the right way and being thoroughly confused before hearing some familiar voices from the edge of the woods. 

Of course, that was taken for granted. But who would be out here so late? It was almost dusk! Maybe they had been out earlier, like he was.

He headed towards the noise. As he reached the top, he slowed and halted with just enough room to see who was speaking.

To his surprise, it was TK, matt's brother, and kari, his little sister. They were jumping aimlessly from rock to rock, pointing out colorful flowers and strangely shaped rocks to each other. Their talk was carefree and innocent, but tai had really begun to wonder. They were the same age, after all…

Gah, stop that. They're too young. No matter what it seemed, no matter how it looked, no matter what they did, they were to young for that kind of thing. They were only eight years old, for Christ's sake! I mean…

Kari slipped on a wet rock and was caught by Tk, just below her. They laughed and they sat down together, hand in hand.

Ok, disregard that last thought.

The eight year olds sat in silence for a minute, and then Kari turned to TK. "Isn't it nice to have our parents here for once? I mean, it's nice being with my brother, but I missed mom a lot."

TK smiled. "Yeah! And you know what else?" he shifted to be more comfortable. "Matt and Dad are here too! The whole family's together. It's been a while. I mean, not counting the time when we had to go back to the digital world. This time, they're actually eating and sleeping and being together on purpose! And I haven't seen dad in a while, so that's great."

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel something's wrong."

Tai was listening intently. Wrong? Nothing he had seen seemed wrong. Then again, this was the girl who sensed something that was literally invisible when no one else had. Maybe she had noticed something that was in front of his nose and staring him in the face which he had not. It was possible. It happened a lot. Lately. Sometimes he felt as if he was totally left out of something that everyone else seemed to know.Like one time when he went to schooland everyone had been staring at him all day, and when he arrived home he found someone hadput marker on his face to make him looke like amouse. (Now, just _who_could have done that?)Maybe he just needed better people skills...

TK looked sideways at Kari. "Wrong? I don't feel…" he paused, thinking. "Oh, wait. Something about… Sora. And Joe and, uh… Izzy, I think." He blushed. "right? Or am I just guessing completely stupid stuff?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Sora and Joe and Izzy… and uh, Matt too. There's something between them and their-" she struggled with the words to describe her feeling. "parents?"

Tai stopped listening to think about this. He played over and over in his head all the adventures they had had during their time together.

Sora? Easy. She had problems with her mother, but he had thought that was cleared up by now. Maybe she was just worried about her future, or maybe she just hadn't finished the talk she had started with him. Joe? His father. Joe was a real problem sometimes, not to the group, just to himself. He complained a lot, and it looked to him that Joe was in more need of a doctor, with all his allergies and accidents, than the world would need him. Plus, he threw up at the sight of blood. Not a good doctor trait. His father, however, wanted him to fulfill the family business of doctoring. It was kind of harsh, making him do what he really doesn't want to do. But you know, Joe never put up a real great argument, either. It was like he couldn't make up his mind himself. Was he just fighting because his father was forcing him to be a doctor instead of letting him make the decision himself? It seemed logical. Matt? His parents were divorced. Maybe they needed catching up… or whatever.

But Izzy? He couldn't think of a single thing with his parents. Tai picked at the grass in front of him. 'I'll have to ask him later.' Tai decided. He looked up and caught the middle of one of Kari's sentences;

"--doesn't look too good."

"Doesn't look that _great, _you mean." TK corrected automatically. He hesitated. "I don't know. He looks like he always has looked. Do you really think something is wrong?"

"I'm sure of it."

Tai sat back, confused. Who doesn't look too great? He shouldn't have spaced off like that. Then he would have known what they were talking about. He watched the younger children intently, hoping he wouldn't miss anything else. He watched as they sat quietly, Tk picking up stones and letting them fall to the ground absent mindedly while he thought. Finally he spoke.

"Then we'll watch him."

They nodded their heads, having made a decision, and got up. "It's pretty late," Kari said. "We should get back before it gets to dark…"

Tai watched them dully for a second and then sat up with alarm. "Hey, guys, wait up! Wait a second, I'm LOST! Hold it!" and with that raced after them.

Kari and Tk looked up at the taller boy's face. "You weren't _spying_ on us, were you Tai?" Tk asked suspiciously.

"Spying? Why would I do that? And what were you talking about anyway?" Tai said. Actually, it was more like "SPYING? Whywouldidothat? Hah, andwhatwereyoutalkingabout an-y-way?"

Kari looked up at him for a second and then said, "You're lost? Geez, I'm surprised you didn't kill us all while we were on our adventures! It's just over this cliff…"

Tai blushed. "I fell asleep." He mumbled.

"I still think you have no sense of direction." They laughed and headed back, turning away from the sunset. There lingered, though, a sense of doubt in Tai's mind that refused to go away…


	3. Remember and Regret

_Hey! sorry for taking so long on the updating, whatever. I had to study for tests, you know. i'm suprized you even had time to notice... anyway... New chapter! first, thanx for the info on the parents. I know that here, they are different than the real names, but who names their mom Yoshie? Mostly for this, i took the first letter of the name and americanized it. sorry about that if you're picky, but whatever. ALSO, thanx for the reviews... i like having my work critisized. otherwize, i know something is wrong and i can't put my finger on it... _now... where was I...

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NOTE! I don't own digimon, series one, two, three, (Duh,) four, or five (did you hear they came out with a new one?) or any of the characters, plots, or whatever. if i did, Tk wouldn't have such a big head, matt would wear blue or black, Tai's hair would accidentally be dyed purple during one of the episodes, and Mimi wouldn't wear that stupid outfit... but that's just my opinion.

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here we go, enjoy! (R&R, plz)

**#3: Remember and Regret**

Raymond Kido stood at the back porch, which was more of a stone wall, or a medieval castle lookout point. It was very relaxing, watching the sunset. It was beautiful here in the digital world. The portal had made him worry; the place where Gennai took them at first didn't seem natural at all. Here, it felt like home. Remembering how he had come had been an unpleasant thought. It was a swirl of colors and numbers, no way to tell up from down, or any way else… except the old man had been standing there in the middle of it on his son Jim's computer. Gennai had said that their children were safe and out of harm's way, waiting for them. Actually, he had said that the children would be resting a while in the digital world when one of the parents had started yelling at the old man on the screen that she wanted to see her son NOW. With some reluctance and a few broken ear drums he had agreed to take them through the portal to see their children. The digital world, though? At first he hadn't wanted to, because it seemed dangerous with all the monsters over there… which, of course, had made the woman angry and she exploded in a tirade. Gennai had refused to cut any more slack, saying that the children couldn't go through the portal while they were tired, or they would suffer dramatic results… whatever that meant. So, they proceeded to the DigiWorld. They had arrived in time to see their children fast asleep, and concocted a little plan to surprise them when they woke up at dinner. They hung around in a nearby town with lots of friendly digimon… and how could he have been worried? Joe did say it was a great place, except for the monsters that he claimed to be all right.

Joe. His son… he would have never guessed. Joe used to just jump at anything that moved. It was hard trying to convince him that carrying on the family profession was a good thing… sometimes he wondered if, when he became a doctor, Joe would end up doing more harm to the patient than helping him because of his repulsion to blood.

He chuckled. Joe's reaction to anything out of the ordinary was a sight to see. Even more so after he met his friend, Gomamon.

He had a very odd way of expressing himself.

Ray looked around. With him on the balcony was a redheaded woman and a cat-thing sitting on the wall next to her. Who was the woman? She was… the ten year-olds mother, right? Izzy was his name. And the cat… it- uh… _she_ was the eight year-olds digimon.

He leaned over. "Hello. My name is Raymond Kido, I'm Joe's father. Who might you be?"

The woman smiled. "Hi! My name is Rachel Izumi. It's nice to meet you. Oh, and I'm Izzy's mother."

Raymond smiled. He had been right.

"And I'm Gatomon."

Ray looked around for a minute, and then blushed. It had been the digimon who had spoken. "Uh, sorry?"

The cat creature smiled. "I said my name is Gatomon, nice to mee'cha!" she held out a forepaw in the air.

"Uh…" he blushed again. "Oh, sorry. I'm so embarrassed. I forgot that you things- digimon- could talk…" and with that he reached out and shook the paw that was being offered to him.

Suddenly behind him, there was a crash. The three of them turned around to see what had happened. Their eyes lit upon a blue haired child with glasses and a bag over one shoulder. Beside him, in the doorway, was a red-headed child kneeling over the fallen boy, who had a computer tucked under one arm and a bug digimon flying over his shoulder.

Joe sat up. "Izzy!"

Izzy blushed for a second, hands up in a shrug. "I didn't mean it. You shouldn't have stopped at the top of the stair- eek!" he had spotted the three pairs of eyes watching his every move. "A, ah, I ah, um…" he scooted back from the doorway, slowly out of sight.

"What are you doing Izzy?" Joe asked, annoyed. He chose that moment to complain about how if his shoes weren't so big and the stairs weren't so hard and rock had been softer, he wouldn't hurt all over right now.

Izzy smiled. "Well, when you're done complaining, there's your dad I'll-be-right-here-if-you-need-me-go." And with that, he disappeared around the corner of the stairway.

"Eh?" Joe sat up, bewildered. "What's he talking about now? I don't understand him at all." He looked around, and spotted the three confused people looking at him.

Immediately he got up. "Oh, _hello_ dad, isn't it wonderful out today well gotta go bye." And dashed upstairs, only to be guided down them again by a pair of yellow gloves and the person wearing them.

"Go out there and _talk to him_" Izzy whispered in his ear.

"Not while your mom and Gatomon are here!" he retorted. "And besides, you can't wimp out on me, we just got here. And you promised."

Izzy sighed, stepping out onto the platform. Joe followed behind him closely like a pair of children who accidentally handcuffed each other together with toy handcuffs. Which wasn't so outlandish; Izzy's grip on his wrist was stronger than any fake-plastic toys could be.

"Hello, mom. This is my friend, Joe. He wants to talk to his father, alone. Is this too much to ask? Because if it is, we can always wait for later, I suppose." He addressed his mom and Gatomon, and waited for their answer.

Gatomon was the first to answer. "Good luck, Joe. You'll need it." She joked and raced off to the kitchen.

Rachel waited patiently for the cat to pass, and then followed her. "Of course not, sweetie. I hope you have fun, and I'll see you later, OK? You know where to find me."

"I do?" Izzy asked.

She smiled. "The kitchen, of course. All that wonderful food in the fridge and no one to eat it. Hah, well, Gatomon and I will take care of that little problem." She joked and headed off.

Joe watched them go before turning to his father. "Ah, so, um…"

Raymond turned to his son. "Was there something on your mind, Joe?"

"Well, you see…" Joe began

* * *

Off near the forest, there were two children walking. One, dressed in a black shirt and bluejeans, stopped to look at the sunset. They were just far enough away that the rocks' height elevated them above the trees, so they didn't get in the way of the wonderful view. Behind them was a castle-like structure, at least from the outside. On the inside, it looked like something you would see at home, in the real world. The outside was a sight to see, but somehow the sun, an object found virtually anywhere, surpassed the marvelous sight. 

Behind the boy there was a girl, climbing onto a taller rock. She was also wearing a long sleeved shirt, but it was red and yellow instead of the jet black the boy had on. She wore bluejeans and a sturdy pair of shoes, as well as a blue helmet on her head. Once she was on top of the rock, she sat back to look at the sun. It was a beautiful sight, a swirl of colors. Red, yellow, orange, pink, and higher up, blue, purple, black. The fading light stretched across the almost- clear sky that lay above them. The first stars of evening shined clearly through to the ground, dancing and twinkling in the sky. Night was coming swiftly, but neither cared. They just sat there, enjoying the wonder that lay before them.

Sora looked down at her companion, Matt. She was glad he wanted to go walking with her. She enjoyed his company. Sometimes she wondered if she enjoyed his company more than Biyomon's, but at the moment she didn't care in the least.

'He looks so calm, relaxed.' She thought to herself. 'I wonder if it's because of the light, or if he really _is _calm. He just seems so tense, lately…'

Matt looked up and caught her staring. "Yes?" he asked.

Sora blushed. "Oh, oh, nothing! I was just letting my mind wander…" she looked down. Suddenly she asked "Hey Matt, why are you staying down there? Come on up, the view's beautiful!"

Matt looked up into her eyes again. Finally he said, "I'll slip."

"Oh, come on Matt! The rocks aren't that slippery. Here…" she offered her hand to him.

He looked at it blankly for a second, then smiled and accepted it. "Don't you dare drop me, Sora, or you will wish that you were a million miles away." And with that, he started up.

It turned out that he _did_ slip on the rocks, and again when they were standing on solid ground. "What's wrong? Are you getting tired?" Sora asked with worry.

"Oh, I… just feel a little clumsy, that's all. Don't you ever feel like you're made of all thumbs?" he sat down on a nearby rock and glanced back at the sunset.

They sat for a while, silent. Sora glanced over at Matt several times, nervous. She let herself be calmed by the painting before her, and she finally got up her courage.

"Matt?" she asked cautiously.

Matt glanced at her, calm as ever. "Yeah?"

Sora blushed. "well, I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind… I want to talk to my mom tomorrow. To let her know that I really _don't_ hate her."

"and you want me to be there in case you run out of things to say." He finished for her.

Sora looked up, surprised. "Yes, that's right."

Matt chuckled. "Are you sure I'm the right one for the job? I always make my words fall over each other when I need it the least."

"It would really mean a lot to me, Matt."

Matt looked into her eyes, about to decline. She chose that time to give him her best puppy dog pout. "Pleeeeezzzeee?"

Matt looked back at the ground. "You tricked me!" he accused.

Sora stopped her imitation. "Does this mean you will?" she asked hopefully.

He glared at her, and then his eyes softened. "of course, Sora. Of course I will." He looked out at the trees. "Besides, I would hate to see you at a _loss for words_." He joked.

"Matt, that's not nice!" Sora retorted playfully.

Silence again, but only for a second. "I have an Idea."

Sora glanced at matt. "Idea?"

"How about we race each other back to the kitchen, and whoever gets there first gets first dibs on the chocolate." He laughed.

"But it's so nice out, matt! Why do you want to go in?" she asked, curious.

Matt pointed at the sunset. "It's getting pretty darn dark, don't you think so? Pretty soon we can't race. And I want that chocolate." He added. "so, do you want to race or not?" he stood, and let her decide.

She stood up and looked down the path. It was getting pretty dark. She didn't want to trip on her way back… better to do it when it was light. She turned to matt. "I've just got three words for you matt."

"And they are...?" he inquired.

"EAT MY DUST!" She laughed and sprinted up the hill.

* * *

Raymond turned to his son. "Was there something on your mind, Joe?" 

"Well, you see…" Joe began.

Raymond listened intently. The boy was having trouble starting, which probably meant he was going to talk about something important.

"Well, you see," Joe said again. "I was just thinking about my future… in the family business…"

Oh, great. Was he going to go off on that again? If he didn't become a doctor, then who was he going to pass on the five-generation tradition on to? Everyone in his family _wanted _to become a doctor, so why weren't his kids that enthusiastic? He wanted to say as much, but his son went on.

"I know, you've told me a thousand times, you would really appreciate it for me to be a doctor and all, but what if it doesn't suit me?"

He did have a good point… but he still wanted to stick to his decision.

"The problem is, well, I really _don't_ know what suits me right now. If I want to do a good job at work, I will have to want what I'm doing. And maybe, just maybe, I'm so concentrated on you not giving me my freedom to be whatever I want to let me see what I really want to do, or where my interests lie."

This really struck him. Joe? Being stubborn to… make a point? Even if he didn't realize it, the thought of him doing that, even absent mindedly, struck him, and struck him hard. Maybe he was being too hard on the boy. Maybe he was pursuing his own dream through him, forcing him to become a doctor. Did his father push him to be the fifth generation of doctors in his family? Of course not! And maybe Joe's real talent was in being a doctor, but he didn't want to do it because Ray was not giving him other options and Joe was resisting because he wanted to experience more, see more, do more than doctoring, doctoring, doctoring, nursing, doctoring, ect… it was logical… how would he feel in that situation? And come to think of it… his father didn't even try to mention being a doctor. Maybe his goal in life wasn't to have four- soon five- generations of doctors, it just happened. His brain tried to analyze the situation before him.

Joe let his father think. Sometimes it produced a good effect, which he really needed right now. It was only when his father turned his eyes back to him that he added "I just want you to give me some space, a little room you know? I just want you to back off for a little bit. If I don't know what I want to do by the time I'm out of high school, I promise I'll be a doctor. Just give me some time, alright?"

Raymond looked over at his kid. "alright, son. I'll think about it."

* * *

Izzy stood behind the two. Joe was obviously sweating his nerves out, and the father… was thinking? Maybe Joe had never asked for him to back off. Perhaps he was just trying to see what his son meant, or was being kind because he was worried. Who wouldn't be, after their son had gone face to face with the most dangerous creature known to man or digimon? His parents had certainly been a nervous wreck. He let his eyes wander towards the horizon, thinking. 

_The sun sure is beautiful here in the digital world. More, ever since the place has been rebuilding itself. Everything's so bright. And to think we almost lost it… to those jerks trying to take over the digital and human world, to those evil digimon bent on destroying light… _his thoughts were interrupted by two figures entering his vision, running up the mountain.

Izzy narrowed his eyes, squinting against the light. "Huh?" He looked at them again. Were they digimon?

Joe and Raymond turned around at Izzy's question. They looked at where he was squinting, and Joe tapped him on the shoulder. "Izzy, wha'cha looking at?"

Izzy pointed. _No, they aren't digimon. Humans? Who would be racing at this hour?"_

His mental question was answered by a loud voice "Geez, Sora, you got a head start and I'm STILL in the lead!"

"Oh, shut up Matt!"

Sora and Matt. Now that they were out of the sun, he could see them getting closer. Matt was in the lead, sure enough, but just barely, for following him was Sora, and she was gaining. Matt glanced back, his bangs getting into his eyes and he ran into a nearby rock, which was just what Sora needed to pull out in front. The victorious girl was soon shot down, however, when she tripped on some grass. She did a summersault and landed flat on her butt. Matt came up behind her and nearly ran into her, and Sora got up and started running again. "You are NOT getting my chocolate, Matt!" she yelled.

"We'll just see about that!" he replied. Sora pulled in front of him. They were close to the stairs now, and coming in fast.

Sora reached the stairs first, and started trying to get her exhausted legs to move even farther uphill. The brief moment that she took was enough to get Matt to catch up. She started to climb the stone staircase towards the three, but neither of them seemed to notice who was watching them. Sora hopped up on the platform, and froze. Matt came up right behind her and nearly broke his nose on the back of her skull. What had made her stop?

Eyes wide, Sora stood in front of the three. Her eyes, however, were locked on something right in front of her.

A huge, brown, hairy spider.

Matt tried to squeeze around her, but to no avail. He instead looked around and saw the problem. "Sora…"

It was that moment she chose to scream. "EEEEEEEKKKK! SPIDER! GET IT AWAY, GET IT AWAY! EEEEEEEEKKKKK!" She started backing up.

This action, however, was not the best action for the time. Or should I say the place, since they were standing three stories off the ground and there was only a thin railing between them and the rocks below, which didn't extend over the stairway. She started backing up, and she and Matt nearly went over the steps in a tumble. They would have, if Matt hadn't thrown his arms out to try to stop her from moving.

"Ah, Sora! Wait… stop! We'll fall off the edge!" Matt grabbed the railing with one hand and pushed forward.

This sudden action must have startled the spider, because right then it jumped up at the two panicking kids…

And landed on Matt's hand.

Matt froze. He looked at the spider, then at the freaking-out Sora. He tried not to move. The spider wavered, unsure, and then made its way down his shirt sleeves.

Breaking away from Sora, Matt headed to the middle of the stone platform and wiggling his arm with a strange expression on his face. Izzy stepped forward as the spider made its way further down the black sweater. "Ok, Matt, just stay calm. Don't panic, just…" he approached him slowly. "It's just a harmless spider, not even poisonous. Really. Don't freak out…"

Suddenly Matt giggled. He tried to pull the shirt off, but kept getting tangled in it, trying to hold the spider away from him, and trying to catch the thing from outside. The problem was, whenever he stuck his hand down one shirt sleeve, the spider would make its way to the other.

And he was giggling! He fidgeted, struggling. Raymond moved forward and tried to grab one of the blonde's arms, and Matt burst out laughing.

"EEEKKK! GET IT- ha- GET IT – hee- OUT OF MY- AHHAHA- SHIRT, IT'S- TI- TI-TI-CKLING ME… --" Was all he could get out before he fell on the ground and started screaming-laughing and struggling.

Inside, the adults were sitting around a table, chatting. They heard a high pitched squeaky noise, which was sort of a cross between a laugh and a scream. Then a "Whoa, whoa, Matt! Hold still!" from Izzy and then another burst of laughs.

It was silent in the room for a moment. Finally one of the adults asked the question that had been on everyone's minds.

"What the hell is going on out there?"

Nancy with her son, TK, stepped out of the room. She was soon followed by Sarah Tachikawa (Mimi's Mom) Cory Tachikawa (Mimi's dad), Mimi, Rachel Izumi, Yuko Kamiya (Tai's Mother), Terra Takenouchi, (Sora's Mom) and David Takenouchi, Sora's father.

They found the five standing on the stone platform, Matt squirming on the ground and laughing, Raymond hopping up and down and nursing one of his feet, Joe waving his arms frantically back and forth, Sora dancing around nervously, around her friend, and Izzy trying hopelessly to pull the blonde into a sitting position. For a second, everyone just sat back and watched the scene before them before Nancy disappeared from the doorway and the others made their way towards the odd bunch before them.

"Hey Matt. What'cha doing?" TK asked innocently.

"S-s-s-spider in-n my-my- shhhhhhiiiirrrrtttt" Matt struggled to say clearly. "T-t-t-t-ti-tick-tickles…" he added weakly.

"Well, to think." Mimi said. "All those times when we were trying to get you to smile, and we could have just put a spider down your back." The grownups laughed at that.

Izzy dodged a flying foot while trying to keep his grip steady. "Matt, come on. Work with me here!" he pulled at matt's arm again.

Nancy reappeared at the doorway. "I got the camera!" she yelled.

"Huh? N-n-n-o, mom-m-m d-d-don't take a pic-ture!" Matt tried to say.

"Smile, honey." There was a flash, and everyone laughed. Tai and Kari stuck their heads in the doorway.

"Hey, guys. What's all the commotion?" Tai asked the crowd. He and Kari had gotten back a little while ago, with Tk. They looked around, confused. "Where's the fire?"

"You mean spider. It's in his shirt." Tk pointed to his brother.

Tai smiled. "Really? Matt's ticklish? Or is he just having a tough time trying to sing?" he smirked again.

"For- Your- in.for.ma.tion. heeheehee. I sing be-t-t-t-er than y-ou d-d-d-do." He giggled again. "J-j-j-just get it… oooooffffff!"

Tai stuck his nose in the air, pretending to be someone rich and snobby. "Well, ok, but it will be a fifty dollar charge to…" he looked down at him. It was hard to stay aloof when he looked so funny. All this laughing made him want to laugh himself. "Well, whatever. You can pay me later." And with that he reached down for Matt.

It took quite some time for them to get it off, even with the whole group helping. Finally, though, they were able to let it off into the nearby woods. Matt sat on the floor, still unable to stop giggling. It didn't help that tai and Sora kept tickling him, but it was more of a side effect than anything. A giggle fit is hard to recuperate from, don't you know? Nancy and Mimi were talking together, Mimi frequently saying how that would be a great picture once it was developed. Finally they headed inside and off to bed, where they crashed from the excitement of the day…


	4. Earth Shaking Consequences

Hello! fourth chapter back to you... finally uploaded! hope you enjoy!

Alright, just so you know, it's a bit longer than last time. Don't worry, it's just because of the details. I also changed Mr. Ishida's name to Richard because it's easy to write, so don't be picky when you read this, please, but I _would_ like some reviews... sorry it took so long to get this one up. new chapter soon! R&R plz!

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_**NOTE:** I do not own anything that starts with a 'd' and ends with 'igimon.' If I did, I would probably not be sitting here, trying to impress random people on the internet with my lame stories, because I'd be a millionare for creating a tv show and most likely have better things to do. sorry to dissappoint you..._ **

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**#4: earth shaking consequences**

_It was strange. She was sitting on a rock, there were trees around, and light pouring lightly through them. Grass was growing beneath her toes and it was mildly cool outside. However, there was a sheet of paper on the tree next to her that sported a picture of a shoe that had instead of the Nike check mark on it, a big red X. also, the birds were flying backwards and all the leaves on the trees looked like her mother and father._

_Matt rowed up to her in a boat. Somehow, this didn't bother her at all. Suddenly his paddle broke so he took out a- what was that? It looked like a plastic leg from a mannequin that you found at the supermarket stores… how'd he fit that in his pocket? _

_Finally he rowed up to her, his blonde hair catching sunlight. They sat there for a moment, Matt putting his 'leg' away somewhere and finally looked back at her. _

"_Well, two weeks and then we'll know." Matt said knowingly. _

_Huh? "Know what?" _

"_Allen knows everything. He'll get me through this. But I want you to be there. In case anything happens. I'll probably go crazy." He continued on._

"_Like you aren't crazy already." She snickered._

_He gazed at her with his blue eyes. They sat there for a moment, looking at each other and enjoying the silence. Then suddenly:_

"_Do you hate me?"_

_Where did that come from? "Hate you for what?" she asked, confused. It had been so nice just to look at him. She put her head down, cradling it in her hands, and propping her elbows on her knees._

"_For not telling you." He said, getting out of the canoe, that silly canoe that he had rowed over here. He stood up, pulling at her hands, motioning her to do the same. She could almost feel his warm touch, his breath on her cheeks, (Which was surprisingly minty-fresh). He reached out and stroked her hair._

_They stood there for a minute, then he said, "If you do, tell me, please."_

_Sora looked up into his beautiful eyes, deeper than all the depths of the digital ocean. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you, Matt." She put her arms around him, laying her head on his chest._

_They stood there. She looked at the scene around them. The canoe had gone, as well as the trees. The rock was far off in the distance. Now they were standing in a digital village that was ruined. Suddenly she pulled up in surprise, looking at the wreck before her. "Matt…"_

_He looked over to where she was pointing. They pulled away; Sora found she had several blonde hairs on her shirt. She brushed them off and then bent over to pick up some of the longer ones. "Did you know you're shedding?" she asked, curious._

_Surveying the disaster before them, he talked to her absent mindedly. "Oh, well, I guess loosing your hair is better than it turning grey. Or was it the other way around? I'm just nervous, Sora. Two weeks isn't a lot of time._

_He came back to that._

"_What's happening in two weeks?" she asked._

_He grinned at her. "It's a secret. But trust me, you'll be the first to know." He looked around one last time before adding, "You'd better wake up, you know. The storm will be here soon."_

_Huh?_

_As if he heard her thoughts he turned to her and repeated "You'd better wake up, you know." His voice fading, even though he was walking closer to her. He opened her hand, placed something into it, and closed her fingers around the cold, hard object. _

"_The storm will be here soon"_

_

* * *

_

Sora sat upright in bed, hands clutched to her chest. Her breath, quick like she had been running. Her eyes darting from one corner of the room to the next. In her ears were the things she had just heard from her dream. Matt's 'the storm will be here soon' resounded in her ears like a loud noise to an empty cave. Not that her ears were empty like a cave…

She looked out the window. Back at the door. If she would hurry, she could make it out of here… what? Why had she thought that?

Silence.

It took her a moment to realize she was completely tense. The world around her began to come into focus. She glanced nervously out the window…

The storm will be here soon.

Silence.

It was weird. Tensing, tensing, trying to find danger in the room.

There was nothing there. She knew it. It was like being a little kid again, afraid of monsters under her bed. She didn't like it. No matter how many times she told herself there was nothing there, there had to be. She was scared out of her mind. What was wrong? She couldn't unclench her fists. She couldn't lie back down to sleep. She couldn't close her eyes… she could?

She closed her eyes, feeling her eyeballs moving back and forth behind them. There! Something in the distance…

Tat.

What was that?

Tititit…

Her eyes flew open. All was silent. But she could feel something… she opened one of her fists to throw off her blankets and put her feet on the stone floor, then switching to the other side where the carpet was. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The floor was shaking.

Looking at the shelves, (Many of them there, all of them beautifully carved and painted, were not only the bookshelf kind but also the hanging kind, that jets out from the wall with nothing on it… she hated those, when they were high up she was afraid it would break and the contents would fall on her, but if it was any lower, she would always run into them…) and saw it.

They were shaking.

Titititat…

Tat tat tat titititat tit Tit Tat TAt TAT TATITITATATATATAT! RATATATT!

Suddenly the shelves and their contents were dumped onto the floor; the lamp was going on and off. The entire place seemed to throw things slightly into the air, again and again would the items around her clatter noisily to the ground only to be picked up again… Sora happened to be one of those things. Books and shoes, glass and paper all found themselves airborne, and finally, things began to calm, not be thrown up so high… the earth gave one last yawn and (in Sora's mind) flipped over to sleep again…

And then things settled.

Sora looked around at the newly made mess, startled. She was fine now, no longer tense as she had been earlier. From the corridor she heard Tai's GOOD GOD, WHAT WAS _THAT_? And several other people's slightly less noisy complaining about the early wake-up-call.

Trembling, one hand clutched around her robe tightly, she got up and surveyed the mess. Most of the stuff was in tact, with the exception of the water glass she had brought up to bed and the book that had landed pages-open on top of it… but she would have to clean up later. With one hand she righted the chair and table that accompanied the room and sat on it. Breathing deeply, she let her thoughts go. It forgot the recently damaged area that was previously called her room and thought back to her dreams. They had been so nice, Matt being near her. But it had bothered her, with the two weeks, and the comment about 'the storm was coming' and 'you had better wake up' which now thoroughly freaked her out… had that been a warning for this mishap? She clutched her robe tighter.

A sharp point stuck her hand. She yelped, and the door quickly opened. "Sora!" her mom's head stuck into her room. "Are you alright, sweetie? Nothing hurt? Did anything valuable break? We can buy more when we get back to the real world, you know… or not if you don't want to. Are you ok, did anything happen, is your room as bad as mine is?"

It took a minute for Sora to sort out what her mom had said. "I'm fine mom. No, no, that's ok, I don't need anything, yes, I think it was an earthquake, I wouldn't know because I haven't been in your room yet, but it is a bit of a mess, but I'll clean it up later."

Her mom smiled and said, "Good. Hungry?"

"I'll be down as soon as I change mom."

The door closed behind her and Sora was left alone with her private thoughts. Unnoticed to her before this, she clutched something cold and hard in her hand. Nervously she opened it.

In her hand was a beautiful necklace, what looked like a sapphire wrapped in silver lace, which turned out to be just silver metal. Four long prongs of it held the jewel in at each of the four corners, as well as a simple almost unnoticeable wavy pattern connecting the two top and bottom bits. At the top there was a fine silver chain, the links just big enough to tell that they weren't just one solid piece of silver. There was a lot of silver, but somehow the gem seemed larger than the entire lot. It was simply beautiful. How did she get it?

She looked around her room. She had never owned anything this expensive or beautiful before. It was obviously someone else's. Had she been sleepwalking?

She turned to stare at the necklace again, when something else behind it caught her eye. She turned it over.

Underneath were several long, blonde strands of hair sitting in her palm.

* * *

Sora walked down the hallway, frowning while deep in thought. Where had the necklace come from? She would have loved to keep it, it's beautiful… but it looked costly and if it was someone else's, she was sure they would have wanted it back. '_But I don't exactly want to tell them about it… or how I came to get it… which would put me in an odd situation. Was I sleepwalking?' _Sora thought to herself. She had never sleepwalked before, but she was only eleven. Why wasn't it possible for her to do it now? 

In her mind, she thought that way. She was just trying to fool herself. She knew who the necklace belonged to, as did the hairs. She was just afraid to ask.

David Takenouchi stepped up beside his daughter. "Hi, sweetie! Gennai made an early breakfast. Coming?" he asked.

"Oh, just a second, dad. I have to do something first…" she trailed off.

David could see that his daughter was deep in thought and had something serious on her mind. "Well," he said at last, "Alright then. Come down when you're ready."

Sora went down a separate hallway, away from her father and closer to her destination. She pulled the jewelry and hairs out of her jeans. She sighed and guided a finger down one of the blonde hairs. Maybe she could just keep one?

Putting the hairs back in their place, she took the necklace into her hands once again. Admiring it for a minute, she stood outside the door. Finally she clutched it in her palm and knocked on Matt's door.

Matt was a heavy sleeper. Until now, Sora realized, she didn't know the extent of his so called 'sleeping abilities.' When she got no answer to her knock, she walked into the room with caution. Didn't want to walk in on him while he was changing…

Actually, she did, but she also doubted he would appreciate it.

The boy was not changing, however. In fact, he wasn't even awake! Sheets hung off the bed and items were strewn across the floor, like a tornado had been through it. Things were hanging out of drawers and off the chairs and out of the closets. Books were in piles underneath their rightful shelves. She thought HER room looked bad, she should have checked his for reassurance that she didn't have to do as much bending over as some people might.

When they wake up, that is.

There was Matt. On his side, on his bed. Well, _bed_ isn't the right term. One of the legs had broken off, and the entire thing, mattress and all, had slid onto the floor. The sheets were in a knot at his feet, with one stray corner tucked tightly in one of his fists. In his other hand he held his pillow close to his flannel pajamas.

Sora stepped carefully into his room, putting the necklace into her pocket once more so she wouldn't drop it. If she did drop it in here, it would _never_ be found. And maybe Matt would let her keep it, or maybe it wasn't his, or maybe her mom or dad had slipped it into her hands the night before and it was secretly hers! Well. Couldn't loose it then, could we?

She approached the figure sprawled on the mattress, sighing. Had he slept through the whole thing? The place was worse than anyone's on her side of the room, there were cracks in the walls over here, for god's sake! If he wasn't kidding, then she really wondered how he got to school on time, or how his alarm clock woke him up. Curious, she reached over not to the sleeping child but to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Or off the night stand, it was hard to tell, there was too much junk around it to be sure.

She pressed the alarm button.

It wasn't what she expected, but she wasn't that surprised when the room was filled with **_"MATT! MATT, GET UP YOU LAZY BUM, THERE'S FOOD ON THE TABLE AND YOU HAVE TO EAT IT BEFORE I STICK IT DOWN THE DRAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME? I SAID GET UP! UP UP UP UP UUUPPPPP! IF YOU DON'T, I'LL EAT ALL YOUR FOOD AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHO GETS THE LAST LAUGH! BWAHAHAHAHA!"_**

Suddenly Matt was up on his feet. "YESSIR, RIGHT AWAY SIR!" and promptly fell back on his side and, amazingly, went to sleep.

Sora stood there for a second, then chuckled to herself. "Matt, come on," she said, shaking him. "You're gonna miss the early breakfast."

"Huh?" Matt shrugged her off and turned over. "I'll have the extra large pizza with chocolate syrup and anchovies, please."

She shook him again. "And I want it within the next forty years, or I want my money back." He continued his conversation. "Better yet, make that fifty. Don't want you to be rushed now, do we?" he rolled over.

She sat there for a minute, next to him and listening to him talk in his sleep. "Cookies, for me? Why sure, I'll back up the truck…" and "Why not? Raisins are just grapes with a sunburn, you know." Were her favorites. Finally her stomach growled, and she realized that all the talk of food that Matt kept muttering about was making her super hungry. She shook him again, but all she got out of him was "I really hate hospitals, you know that? Believe me, when you step into the place, it smells like disinfectant. I hate that, but I gotta go there every week, so that sucks." She shook him harder. "Oh, hi Sora…"

She leaned back. "_Finally, _I thought you would_ never…"_

She was interrupted by his voice. "Whacha doing here? Yes, the park is a pretty place, but I thought we were in the digital world…"

Glaring at him she put her hands on her ears. "AAAAARRRRGGG!" she screamed in frustration.

"You know," he went on, "I bought you the most beautiful necklace… but it got…" he rolled over.

Sora froze. Carefully, not waking him up (She doubted she could) she took him by the shoulders and shook him gently. "Matt? Matt, tell me about the necklace." Waiting, she got no response. She shook him again, repeating the sentence.

"Oh, yeah…" he lifted his arm and pointed to her nose absent mindedly. "It was beautiful… sapphire, you know. It's your birth stone… I uh, think, anyway." He drifted off for a moment, but continued. "And it had a silver chain. Really fine links, so small. Wanted to get you a gold one, but silver looked better…"

"Where'd it go? Matt, where is it now?"

"Oh, I think." She was confused for a moment before he picked up the sentence again. "When we went up against apocalymon… when we were digitized and reformed it didn't get reformed either. Didn't exactly have time to look for it, and Tai would have been confused if I was not fighting apocalymon…" he scratched his neck.

Sitting back on her heels, she reached into her pocket. Matt was still mumbling beside her "I dreamed once I gave it to you…" but she didn't need to hear that. She already knew what he meant. The necklace was for her. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't tell him now… even if he wasn't 100 sure that he had lost it. The dream had been real, and he would obviously think she was a nut job if she told him. He probably hadn't lost it anyway. Understandably, she had been having bad dreams and sleepwalking because of it, and drifted over to his room in her sleep and took the necklace and his… hairs…

She ran her fingers through his hair. Strands fell, after a couple strokes, to the bedside. What was wrong with that? He shouldn't be loosing hair, not yet (She made a mental joke about Matt being old to cover up her worry.) she also noticed he was dripping wet, for the first time. First of all, how had that escaped her notice? And second, _WHY_ was he wet?

The answer walked in the door with a bucket of water.

"Hiya, Sora! Just trying to wake Matt up, unsuccessfully as you can see." Gabumon walked over to Matt and, with a polite "Excuse me," poured the water over his head.

Matt turned over and muttered "Great, Tai. I just got clean, I don't need another bath." Wiping off the drops on his face, he went silent once more.

"Good grief…"

"Hey, I have a GREAT idea, Gabumon! We'll dress Matt up in one of my dresses, put lipstick on him, and maybe eye shadow, stockings, high heels, and before that, paint his toenails pink and yellow with little smiley faces on them! Then we'll come up and get permanent marker and draw a mustache on him, and maybe a beard…" she trailed off, clasping her hands and making dreamy eyes to let him know she was being sarcastic. Her voice overly peppy, she continued, "And we'll put a sign on his back that says 'kick me, I'm a moron who sleeps in through earth- sorry digiquakes, people shaking me, and water being poured on my head, and not even YOU can wake me up while I'm sleeping…" waving her hands around extravagantly, she added, "And then we can put his hair in pig tails and get him some girly purple gloves with pink and white flowers on them and before we put them on his hands we can write an autobiography of his life, starting with where he was born and ending up in how landed himself in a room with a weird girl and digimon who would dress him up like a girl and humiliate him and still call them his friends! And we can even get Ms. Takaishi to take a picture of him! Wouldn't that be a totally in-way to get revenge for letting him keep me occupied while my food –-and his-- gets completely cold to the point of if we eat it, we'll GET FOOD POISONING AND **DIE!**" she ended the last part screaming, in an attempt to make Matt wake up.

All Matt did, however, was roll over, grab one of her arms, hug it tightly, and make a "You know, you're cute when you scream" come from his mouth.

She looked at him- well, if looks could kill, the whole neighborhood would have needed coffins- and sat for a moment.

"Gabumon?" she asked, her voice dangerous.

"Yes?"

"Go get more water."

The dog-digimon looked at her and his friend hanging off her arm, and stepped out of the room with the pail.

She watched him go out of the corner of her eye. When he shut the door, she gently pried his fingers off her arm, laid him down flat, and bent over him. "Matt, if you don't wake up, I'm going to do something I always wanted to do." She said it quietly, but clearly.

He rolled over, she righted him again. "Listen to me, Matt. You don't want to let me do this. Wake. Up. Do you hear me?"

He nodded, but kept right on sleeping.

"Well," she said to him. "You asked for it." She brushed a hair out of her face before leaning over him, and she added, "Sleeping beauty…"

Their lips met. She sat for a moment, enjoying her first intentional kiss for Matt. The first had been under the table, but THAT had been an accident… this was real. She loved it. He might never know she kissed him, she might never get another chance.

'Just a bit more… just a bit _more…' _she kept telling herself…

His eyes popped open.

* * *

"WAAAAH!" he yelled, pulling back from her, wide awake now. "What the _hell_?" he asked. 

"AH! You're finally up! Matt, I…" she sat back quickly, knocking over one of his bags that was stationed behind her. Making up a quick lie, she said, "Good GOD, Matt, I thought you were dead! Did you know Gabumon poured water on your head _twice_ already? I sent him to get more, but I thought kissing you might get you to wake up! And that is all it was for, just to make you wake up not because I've always wanted to do that and I just couldn't help myself and wanted to kiss you but I wanted just to make you wake up, you know, so we wouldn't miss breakfast…" she rambled on, unstopping. She had to stop for breath, but then it was Matt's turn.

"Yeah, of course. I'm a heavy sleeper you know so it would make sense that you would try to make me wake up and did I really sleep through water being poured over my head that's a first well I guess if you did it just to make me wake up it's fine because I would have done the same to you if you were me and I was you and trying to wake me up because I don't do that very often…" his voice was quick, and he didn't bother to finish his sentences. "And I... hey wait a second…" he looked at his clock, which read 5:14. "It's not time for breakfast! Why were you trying to make me wake up so we could go eat breakfast? He looked out the window and yawned. "It's not even light out."

"Unbelievable" she muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" he asked, turning his attention back to the girl on his floor.

"Oh, nothing. See, I was just trying to get you up uh, because, uh…" she motioned to the room.

Unfortunately, Matt was rubbing the sand out of his eyes. "Whatever, Sora. It's ok. Are the others up? Probably…" he answered his own question. "I'll just get dressed. You know, Sora, next time you want to wake up early, tell me the night before, alright?"

She snickered. "Whatever you say." Standing up, she asked, "Why is that?"

"Because, I'm surprised you were able to wake me up before the sun rose when I had sleeping pills that weren't due for a wake up call until five hours from now."

Gasping, she nearly fell over again. "You had sleeping pills?" she accused, unbelieving. "Why in god's name would you do that?"

Tilting his head to one side, he answered sleepily; "I have nightmares, they make me wake up. For some reason, whenever I take sleep pills, the dreams turn to cookies and butterflies instead of…" he trailed off.

"I noticed." She sneered. When he looked at her questioningly, she answered "You talk in your sleep, you know that?"

"I do? Oh well. It's better than dad's snoring…" he looked around the room. "Is this my room? Nevermind." He said when Sora opened her mouth. "I forgot, we're in Gennai's, um… castle thingy. In the digital world."

"Unbelievable" she muttered again.

"I know. We finally brought peace back to the digital world, and Gennai wants us to stay. Truly unbelievable. But I'd rather do this than go back home. Our parents are here, and it's beautiful, and we don't have to go across town to see each other, just across the hallway." He glanced at her. "Shoo please. I have to change…" he smirked. "Unless you want to stay?"

Dashing out of the room, she closed the door behind her. "Geez, Matt. That's not exactly what I meant…"

* * *

From where he was sitting, Tk could almost see the kitchen. The adults (including Gennai) were helping bring the food out and setting the table. Raymond put the glasses down, while Tai struggled with the dilemma of setting forks or chopsticks. Finally he decided on both. His mother was joking with Rachel, Izzy's mother, and his father was chatting with David, Tai's father, about the weather in the digital world. Izzy was sitting on the stairs with Joe and Mimi, watching to the two talk. Sora and his brother were nowhere to be seen. 

He turned to Kari, who was sitting next to him, also surveying the adults. There were only three people sitting down at the table, including them… the others knew that it would take some time for the others to get fully awake enough to actually eat without falling asleep in their eggs. However, sitting was the preferred choice, not only because the rude wake up call had shaken him up and he was still tired, but because when they stood there was even less to see.

He hated being short.

Knowing he would hit his growth spurt soon didn't give him any comfort; he knew he wouldn't exactly like growing pains. It did provide hope that he wouldn't be a midget forever, though.

Hope. It was his crest. Hope came from all of his friends, helped them through tough times when bad came to worse on their travels. Looking up was always better than looking down, but then, anyone his size could look up, and did regularly. But hope was sacred, hope got him Patamon, and hope got him friends. When he hoped, things happened, not only Patamon becoming Angemon, but his friends and family always got a better look to them. When he hoped, his family got together again. When he hoped, they defeated evil digimon. When he hoped, they got back to the real world. Whenever he hoped, things happened.

He hoped breakfast would be served soon.

Another adult walked down the stairs. Great, one more down, several to go. Progress made.

Terra Takenouchi _'Sora's mom,'_ Tk said to himself, and Cory Tachikawa _'that's Mimi's dad' his thoughts continued, _walked down the stairs, deep in conversation. Well, as deep as a woman with pajama pants and slippers on while at the same time wearing a formal blouse and a man whose hair was messier than usual and glasses on upside down could be… but they were talking. And awake. '_If this was the Olympics for getting out of bed suddenly, I'd give them both a 3.5…' _he thought to himself. '_But dad would probably be like, an eight or nine. He must be used to getting up early. Mom would get a 6, points off for only wearing one glove and mismatched socks. She'll notice it later.'_ He looked around the room, continuing his game. _'Mimi looks like she had a fit when she woke up this morning. She didn't even bother to try and dress. But, she did comb her hair and put- is that makeup? - On… give her a 5 for average. Kari is wide awake, give her a definite 10. How does she do it? Gennai gets a ten too, but he's a digimon. The only digimon here not awake are Agumon and Biyomo- wait, where is Biyomon? Oh, there she is. I thought she'd be with Sora, but Sora isn't here right now, nor is Matt. What do you say, folks, do we give them some time, or give them a ZERO?'_ he giggled. This was a good way to wake up. Should he tell jokes to the others to make them wake up, or not? He turned to Kari.

"Wanna here a joke?" he asked.

"Sure!" was her reply.

"Ok, so a man is sitting in his psychiatrist's office talking about his home life. He says, "Doc, my wife thinks I'm crazy! She thinks I'm crazy just because I like sausages!"

"The shrink says, "Well, that's silly--I like sausages."  
The man says, "Really? Well you should come over to my house and see my collection. I have hundreds of them."

Kari waited patiently, listening. When he told the punch line, she laughed, which made him smile. "That's funny, TK. You should tell the others!"

Tai walked over. "Tell who what?" he asked curiously.

"A joke," Kari said. "It's really good."

"You don't say?" the three turned to look at Raymond, Joe, Mimi, and Izzy standing behind them. They all took seats near him, making themselves comfortable. "Tell us the joke, Tk."

Some of the adults noticed people were sitting, and the table was all set. A few came to sit down, while the rest watched, detached, or brought more food in. Tk repeated the joke and they all laughed appropriately. Some looked more awake, even. _'This is good; I'm bringing people to the table and waking them up. This was SO a good idea, maybe if the others get down here, we'll actually eat soon!'_

"Hey, I've got one!" Rachel walked forward. "Ok, here are some pearls of wisdom: It's always darkest before the dawn, so, if you are going to steal the neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it…"

They laughed again. All the food was on the table, and people sat down and started trading jokes, waiting for the others, long jokes, short jokes, bad jokes, funny jokes, and every possible category for a joke was told at that table. After a bit, Cody realized his glasses were on upside down and Terra noticed her mismatched pants with her blouse and went back up to finish changing. People lightened up and became more talkative, pulling at their shirts to get wrinkles out and readjusting their pants and tying their shoes. Everyone was so caught up in talking no one noticed Sora or Matt had not come down yet, but that was ok because no one was eating.

Tk sighed, hunger reminding him of his wish. '_Oh well…_' he thought, turning to another adult who was telling the next joke.

* * *

Rushing downstairs, afraid the breakfast had started without them, Sora tugged at the arm belonging to the half- asleep Matt. Apparently the kiss she had given him had not woken him up entirely… which wasn't the best thing when they were about to miss the first meal of the day. Why did the earthquake have to come at this insane hour? It was AWFUL! Although she could have been on time if she had just let Matt sleep until the moon rose… she sighed. 

At last they reached the dining place, next to the kitchen. She saw that the group had not started eating yet, and she was relieved and confused. It had taken nearly forty five minutes to get Matt out of bed and another 15 minutes completing the hour, while he got dressed. Yet, here they were, a full hour late, and the adults looked nearly wide- awake and happy, swapping jokes between each other like it was another day at work or school…

Weren't they hungry at _all?_

Tai noticed them first. "Hey, guys! What took you so long?" he asked, beckoning them over to the table.

Sora and Matt took the two empty seats and scooted up to the table. "I'm starving, why aren't you eating?" she eyed the food, her stomach giving a growl. Matt just sat next to her, not even looking at the food.

"We were busy waking up. What's your excuse?"

"You know, it's funny you ask, I was helping Matt do the same thing!"

"What?"

Elbowing Matt in the ribs, she turned to Tai. "He was still asleep when I went over there, can you believe it? His bed was on the floor, his sheets were off the mattress, clothes were hanging out of the closet and drawers, books were everywhere, and there were cracks in the wall and ceiling… and he was still asleep! Amazing, huh? Not to mention the fact that Gabumon poured water on him twice and I set off his alarm clock, which is louder than a heavy metal rock concert…"

All eyes turned to the boy who had slept through the earthquake, who was now yawning and rubbing his eyes again. "Seriously?" they said simultaneously. Laughing, some reached for food, as Sora was doing.

"You slept through the earthquake, Matt?" Tk asked his brother.

His answer was a nod, a yawn, and "What earthquake?"

Sora slapped her head in disbelief, then turned and glared at him. "You really are amazing, you know that? And annoying."

"Remember," Nancy said. "Pearls of wisdom: when someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles in your face to form a frown, but only 4 muscles-" she leaned towards Matt and slapped the back of his head lightly "To extend your arm and smack that jerk upside the head…"

There was a chorus of laughs and they settled down to eat.

"Hey, Gennai?" That was Mimi. "I didn't know they had earthquakes in the digital world!"

"Oh," he sighed. "They are very rare! And we are so ill-prepared for it! We're used to digimon destroying our land, not the land destroying the land! Well, you know what I mean. And we're so unprepared, I heard primary village took some real damage…" he swallowed a forkful of eggs and then added salt.

"Oh, no!" Mimi cried. "Did anyone get hurt?" all attention went to Gennai, waiting.

"A few, but digimon heal fast! I'm more concerned about the buildings, though. Where will the digimon be born? There are some digimon out helping them, but it could take weeks with the amount of digimon there! But everyone suffered a little bit from the disaster, so you can't blame them for wanting to help themselves first."

"We should help them!" Tai exclaimed. "We could help them rebuild!"

Cory looked over. "Not on an empty stomach." He joked.

"I think it's a great idea," Rachel said. "It would be a good chance to get out and get some exercise, while meeting new digimon and seeing more of the world. Not to mention helping people…"

Tai looked at the others. When they realized it, they sighed. "You're the boss, Tai."

"That's great! We can go after everyone picks up their room…" Tai decided.

"Cleaning? What for? I'll need a carpenter for _my_ room, not a cleaner…" Raymond said.

"Really?" Tk asked. "My room must not be close to yours. Nearly everything is on the shelves; I didn't get very much knocked off…"

"I already cleaned mine, mostly" Sora chimed in.

"So did I," Joe added, "Except there's a problem with my shelf… it kinda snapped in half."

"What about Matt?" somebody asked.

Everyone looked over at the blonde boy who seemed to be nodding off at the table. He obviously hadn't noticed that he was the topic of conversation; he seemed to be trying to decide between eggs, toast, or an empty plate. Finally, (Much to the embarrassment of his father) he chose all three. Sora leaned over and took the empty plate off the top of his scrambled egg pile and went back to eating.

"Oh, you should've seen his room. As I said earlier, his bed broke and there was stuff all over." She took a bite of toast.

Richard Ishida (Matt's father) glanced in his son's direction. "It's ok. That's what his room usually looks like…"

Matt's head snapped up. "DAD!" he exclaimed.

"I can't believe you could wake him up… why'd you go in there, anyway? Was he snoring?"

"I don't snore!"

"You don't?" Richard acted surprised. "I could've sworn a few weeks ago, you were snoring…"

He smirked. "Dad, that was a recording of _you_ snoring. I wanted to figure out what it was… I had actually thought it was the cars on the freeway."

Richard chuckled. His son sure did have a sense of humor, even when he was tired. A thought occurred to him. He hadn't heard Matt make a joke like that in years… no. It wasn't because he wasn't funny, it was because, well, it was because he was never home to hear him crack a joke. It was truly shameful… but he didn't want to admit it. If he were to face the truth, he would see that he didn't know his son anymore.

Was he a bad father?

He had been working long nights lately. When he got home, if ever, Matt would be asleep, or sometimes off to school. He actually held _two_ jobs, one as a reporter (His full time job) and a part time job at tech support from twelve to three. It was a wonder he ever got any sleep at all, which is probably why he didn't feel so tired now. He never told anyone about the second, part time job. If he did, maybe… well, what good would it do? Understanding where your father works for three hours a day isn't very important, or at least it didn't seem like it. It was silly, too. What would people think if they knew he was working two jobs? That he didn't have enough money to pay for his house? It would embarrass him, especially if Nancy found out. She would probably rub his nose in it, laugh at him because 'you wouldn't be so tight on money if you hadn't gotten a divorce with me' or something. Sometimes he had nightmares about his ex wife, but he wasn't sure why.

Some people find it hard to hold two jobs, saying they didn't get enough sleep or time with family, or they got stressed out too easily after working twenty hours a day, but Richard had no problem with it at all. Out of college he had been doing it, and the transition of going from 'pulling all nighters' to 'getting that same amount of sleep but getting paid for it'. Why did people think that he would have a rough time with that? It was a good method.

Stress? He didn't get stressed out THAT easily. Of course, sometimes you just reach your limit, but if that happens, ask for a day off. Or two. No problem there!

And… family. Nancy must have hated him for never coming home, working through the night and sometimes the morning. His longest 'workday' had lasted three nights and four days, starting at 8 o'clock and ending at four in the afternoon. She had _definitely_ not been pleased about that, but he _had_ saved up enough money to fix the car without having to go hungry for a week. Maybe that contributed to the divorce, a growing rift that somehow turned into the Grand Canyon. After the divorce it was still the same. Things had to be paid for, things had to be bought and/or fixed from time to time. This time it had been the refrigerator, and maybe some more clothes for Matt. In fact, all of his money went to things, not, say, vacation or movies, or anything like that. He always spent money on items, or food or clothing. Somehow, money had become his main priority, skipping above his son! How had that happened? In fact, if the school had been free and he didn't get a bill for it every month in the mail, he might actually completely forget about it.

This thought had occurred to him before, a long time ago. In response to it, he had put up pictures of his family and friends on the walls, in books, even one in his wallet. It seems that angle failed…

Looking down at his feet, he made a decision. He would talk to Nancy, get a camera from her. She had tons of cameras, maybe she would loan him one, or a few. While on this 'vacation' in the digital world, he would take pictures of him, and get closer to his son in the meantime.

The decision made, he turned his attention back to the food on his plate, listening to other people's jokes and telling a few of his own.

'_Tomorrow, then. I'll ask tomorrow, before dinner.'_

'_Tomorrow then.'_


	5. Creation and Destruction

_yesssss! New chapter! That's what you are all thinking! N-no? darn, must have taken too long. sorry. anyway, New chapter up! It's called Creation and Destruction. (Just to give you a hint, all the chapter titles have a hidden meaning... whatever.) and i hope that you will read and review, that's nice. if FLAMES mean CRITICISM, then I would love flames. please read and review!_

_NOTE: I do not own anything whatsoever that rymes with digimon, because all i can think of that rymes with 'digimon' is something like 'coromon' and 'gabumon' and stuff, which all belong to the tv series... hey, that's a good idea! when you review, you can insert a word that rymes with digimon! or not. it's your choice. _

_read and enjoy!_

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**Ch. 5 Creation and Destruction**

The DigiDestined, their parents, and their digimon lined up outside the gate at the front of the castle that led to the door. It took a while, getting everyone together. Someone had decided to mention to half the group to bring sandwiches for lunch so they wouldn't have to come back, but neglected to mention it to the rest of the group. Mainly the guys.

So, as the Male portion of the group stood at the front gate, the wives and girls (And their digimon) made a total mess in the kitchen, and word got around to the guys that it would be a bit.

"I heard it was some freak accident involving eggs, tomatoes, celery, and a blender that didn't have a top, but did have a wooden spoon and a salt shaker in it before someone pressed 'liquefy'," Matt joked to the others. He had been awake since someone had slipped red hot habanera pepper into his eggs, who somehow remained anonymous to Matt while letting the rest of the group know who he or she was. The culprit obviously thought he was fair game, or revenge; he still had to figure out which.

Joe turned to Matt. "You should really go help them, Matt."

"Yeah," Tai pitched in. "You might actually keep us from choking on the plastic they use to cover the lunchmeat by helping them take it out of the package."

"Are you saying we can't cook?"

The three jumped. Turning around, they saw Tai's mother, Yuko, standing over them with a basket. Leveling her prize on her shoulder, she stood over them and smirked.

Tai quickly stepped back. "AAH! Of course not! Why would we say that? You're just so late…" he stopped and went on. "Oh, gosh. I didn't mean that, either…"

She smiled at her son. "It's all right, Tai. I was just funning you." She smiled and set the basket down, looking behind her. Following her were the other girls, all carrying baskets like Tai's Mother's in their arms.

Setting hers down, Mimi sighed. Ok, I don't suppose we can take a break?" she asked innocently. "I'm tired."

She sat down on a rock and crossed her legs, waiting for the others to get there, only to find that they were right behind her. Everyone came in and formed a circle, where Tai stood in the middle looking at everyone. There was commotion for a second before everything quieted down and everyone looked at the goggled leader of the DigiDestined.

"You know…" that was Raymond. "I was thinking for a bit, and I was wondering…" he stopped and looked around. "How we are going to get to this primary village thing. Is it nearby?"

The adults looked from Raymond to their children, realizing he was right. They glanced around at the horizon, but all they saw was a whole heck of a lot of trees and a bunch of dirt.

"Yeah, how are we going to get there, Tai?" Izzy's dad, Chris, asked. "It's a ten day walk over there or so my son told me."

Izzy smiled at his adopted father. "Oh _dad_." He said with some exasperation. "This is the digital world. Open your mind! How do you think we're going to get there?"

"A train?"

The children laughed and Tai turned to their parents. "No, of course not. There aren't any trains here, right Izzy?" he turned to the younger boy. When the redhead shook his head no, Tai went on. "We're going to fly!"

"HUH?" all the parents said simultaneously. Looking at each other in surprise, they turned to their kids. "There are planes here?"

"Not exactly…" that was Joe.

"We're taking our digimon, dummies." Matt explained, rolling his eyes. "Geez, don't they know anything? Sometimes…" he let his voice trail off.

The adults turned to each other once more. "Your digimon can fly?" they asked, again, all at once.

"You know, if you keep that up, we might actually begin to think that you all are the same person in disguise." Matt added softly in the back.

"Of course they do! How do you think we get places in a hurry, like when the forest became unstable?" Tai asked, ignoring Matt's comment.

"But what if we fall?" they asked all at the same time again, in spite of Matt's earlier comment. They turned to each other in shock. "That was weird."

"We did it again!"

They glared at each other. Suddenly they all said "Man, we gotta stop doing that." For no reason at all.

The children couldn't help it and burst out laughing, some falling on the ground, pointing fingers at the adults before them. After it was done, they got their wind back and every one of the children turned to Sora and Izzy, standing back.

Sora smiled at her parents, and turned to Biyomon. "Alright, Biyomon, Let's go!" Biyomon nodded to her friend.

"Biyomon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

Izzy stood back and nodded to Tentomon, smiling at him. "Let's go!" he said to the bug-like digimon before him.

Tentomon nodded right back at the guardian of knowledge.

"Tentomon, digivolve to… Kabuterimon!"

The adults watched, amazed, as the little rookie digimon before them turned into two colossal monsters that towered over them. It was certainly an extravagant change from the little creatures standing in beside them the night before.

Tai motioned to the dumbstruck parents. "Come on, they're done now" he told them. Starting forward, the adults realized what he had said and went forth with him, their eyes still bulging out of their sockets.

"Matt, they're being creepy. Can you make them stop?" Sora whispered to the blonde.

Matt smirked and nodded. Turning to them, he opened his mouth. "You all look like cows, hanging there with your mouths open and staring like that." He informed them.

Immediately the parents shut their mouths and looked at the ground, embarrassed. "Are we supposed to RIDE them?" Richard asked his son.

"Well, not unless you get on them." Was Matt's reply. He turned and looked at the towering digimon before stepping up to Garudamon and asking, "Hey Sora, mind if I ride with you?"

Sora's reply was simple, "Of course Matt. Why not?" and with that, the children began to get on the digimon.

The parents wavered for a moment, daunted, and then made their way towards the children and their digimon slowly.

* * *

It had taken a while to get the parents to trust them, but once they were on, it was a rather quick flight to Primary Village. A 'more than ten day walk' was no problem for them, as long as they kept it easy. When there was no one chasing them, Joe concluded, a ride like this seemed to be actually pleasant! Even if it meant being waaaayyyy to high up in the air, because he was afraid of heights, he still enjoyed some of it. At least the pure terror of being like a six-point buck in hunting season was absent for once. 

When they reached Primary Village, everyone saw the reason that the digimon there needed more help than they had in order to put the city back on track.

Stepping off the back of Garudamon, Sora looked around with dismay. All of the building-block-buildings were in shambles, and the entire place was a disaster. The sky, being cloudy, didn't exactly help the scene.

"Déjà vu…" She muttered to herself. Where had she seen this before?

In her dream.

Shivering, she stepped backwards, closer to Garudamon. It was a creepy resemblance to the place she had seen in her dreams, just the one this morning! The only difference, she noted, was the sky. It had been night, and the entire place had seemed grey-er than it did now. It was not something she wanted to think about, but she figured it was at least an upside to it; the place had color here.

Steeling herself, she looked around again. This time, her eyes found several digimon trying to straiten out the rubble. However, they were small and some didn't even have arms, so they couldn't get very far. Even some baby digimon were trying to help, though they could do less than the other digimon could.

Tai cracked his knuckles. "Well," he said, stretching, "We'd better get started! There's a lot of work to do." And with that, he headed off in another direction.

* * *

Mimi looked, dismayed, at the wrecked place before her. Sure, it was not the first time she had seen destruction, but it was still awful. Bending over, she picked up an un-hatched egg. Rubbing it absent mindedly, she returned to her thoughts. Why had the earthquake come now? Mother Nature sure had bad timing. She just _had_ to ruin Primary Village when all the digimon were being reborn after they had beaten all the evil digimon masters and apocalymon… it just didn't seem fair! 

She set the digiegg into her purse and helped tear apart some fallen wooden boards. Righting them, she pulled them over to where Tai and Tk were piling up similar objects. Afterwards, she glanced around, wiping her forehead. It was hard work! She was already tired. She really needed to get into a fitness program or something.

Seeing that the other kids had also found digieggs, she looked down into her purse. The children were piling them up near the center, in a cleared spot that had been unaffected by the earthquake. They would be safe there.

Rubbing the digiegg she had, she walked over to them, not noticing the little cracks that had begun to appear in the shell. Looking around, she noticed other digieggs on the ground and picked them up to place them in the pile.

When that was done, (She still held the first digiegg she had found, not noticing she hadn't put it down yet) she looked around. These digimon needed help, and they were here to give it to them. It was certainly no time to be selfish, thinking of how tired she was when these poor digimon had been tired since this morning when the earthquake had struck! She refused to set all them aside just because she was tired, and she would prove it too! She was not some wimp, one that gave up after five minutes of doing something. Let's face it, when the going got tough, Mimi would always chicken out and give up after a whole lot of complaining… and her friends had pointed that out quite often, now that she thought of it. It was the number one thing they nagged her about. Or was that being a ditz? She couldn't remember. Leaving these digimon to fend for themselves, though, was not what she had in mind. It wasn't a very sincere thing to do, now was it? She rubbed the egg harder and with more vigor as the cracks in the brightly colored egg began to multiply, still escaping her attention.

'_This is it'_ Mimi decided. _'No more running away, no more hiding. I will not let these digimon down, and I won't let my friends down.'_ She nodded her head once to herself.

The egg in her hands chose that time to blow apart in her face, revealing a small ball of a digimon. Izzy came over and inspected the digimon, while Mimi just looked astounded, and confused, at the egg she hadn't realized she was holding.

The little black puff-ball popped out of the rest of the shell. It looked up to her with its tiny yellow eyes, innocently… purring? It was so cuuuutttte!

Mimi smiled, giggling. This was going to be a wonderful day.

* * *

They were in the middle of cleaning up when a familiar face popped in. 

"Ogremon!" Mimi cried, running up to hug him. "What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I heard that… um… well, y'see," he stammered. "I just wanted to make sure everything was all right!" he finished quickly, blushing.

Tai elbowed him in the ribs lightly, walking off. "SUUURRRREEE…" was his reply. "You just wanted to help put primary village back together, didn't you?" he eyed the digimon. "DIDN'T YOU?"

"No! Well, since I'm here I might as well, but that wasn't my original intent!" he protested.

Joe sighed. "You just can't give it up, can you? Even if you're a virus type. We can understand if you want to help, after all, Leomon hasn't been reborn yet, has he?"

"You mean it's ok?" the digimon asked softly.

"Of course! We could use all the help we get!" Tai exclaimed before going off, directing him what went where and what they were working on, finger pointing in all directions as he towed the digimon behind him.

Giggling, the rest of the DigiDestined went back to work. Matt pulled at a pile of rubbish while Mimi and Izzy found more digieggs. Joe was arguing with Sora about doing the fence, which he wanted to do, but was shot down with the knowledge that whenever he picked up a hammer he needed medical attention. Finally they decided to just let one of the parents do it, and they found Tai's mom, Yuko, and Sora's dad, David to do it while they got the wood for them.

After a bit of work, the sun rose to the middle of the sky, which meant it was time to eat. Half of the group split up to look for a clean spot to put the food while the rest kept on working.

Matt glanced over at the people setting up the food and his stomach grumbled loudly at him. He was _hungry_… so hungry…

"Hiya!"

The greeting startled Matt, who jumped what seemed a half a foot in the air. Turning around, Matt saw a red digimon standing near him. He was also looking in the direction of the food, but after a moment turned and talked to Matt.

"Oh, Hi! I didn't notice you were there…" Matt said.

"That's ok, I get that a lot."

"What's your name?" Matt asked the digimon.

"Crabmon"

"But I thought Crabmon were purple…

"Ah, well, I've got a sunburn."

"Oh."

Matt thought about it, deciding it didn't make any sense at all and just decided to drop the subject. After all, He did sort of LOOK like a Crabmon, and who was he to argue whether he had sunburn or if he had accidentally tripped over the paint bucket that Sora and Joe had been using to paint the fence?

"So, what's up? You hungry?"

"Not really." Crabmon said before his stomach growled. Blushing, he added, "Well, maybe a little."

"Maybe you can squeeze in; we did bring a lot of food. I'm hungry too, and they're taking _forever_ to set the food up!" he complained, looking again at the unopened baskets of food.

"Really?" Crabmon asked. He looked over there, his mouth watering before he pulled back. "Hey, you're a human, do you know the DigiDestined?" the digimon asked innocently.

"Oh of course! They're right over there!" Matt pointed to his friends. "See the one who's laying out the blanket? That's Mimi; she's got the crest of sincerity. The one with the huge hair, he's Tai, who's got the crest of courage… and the one who just dropped all the plates over there is Joe, who has Reliability…" he pointed over to the fence. "The girl over there, painting the fence? She's Sora, who has the crest of love, and beside her is my brother, Tk, who has hope. Kari's crest is light," he added, pointing over near some of the adults. "And Izzy, the one tapping on his computer, he has the crest of knowledge. The rest of them are all just our parents." He finished.

The digimon thought for a second. "Hey," he commented. "Isn't that only seven? I thought that there were eight DigiDestined!" he exclaimed, excited. "Oh, gosh, did someone get hurt?" he asked anxiously. "Who is the eighth child?"

Matt smiled down at the digimon. "No one, silly. I only have seven friends here, but I will have to admit one is a repeat offender."

"What?"

"I'm just fooling with you. See, I'm a DigiDestined too. I can't very well be friends with myself, can I? That would be awfully vain." He laughed.

Sora trotted over. "You already are vain matt, with all the hair gel you use to get your hair to spike like that. Who are you talking to, anyway?"

Matt introduced her to Crabmon, when finally they got finished setting up the food and called everyone over to eat. Matt invited Crabmon, and a few other digimon who had been near to eat with them.

During dinner, Matt was talking to Tai. "You know how all that food at home is going to waste? Why don't we invite the digimon here over to Gennai's castle thing where we're staying to come eat dinner with us? We are almost done anyway!" Matt suggested to his friend, who thought about it.

"That would be a good idea," Tai thought out loud. Repeating Matt's idea to everyone else at the table, they decided it was a good thing to do, and arrangements were made.

The digimon would be eating a feast tonight.

* * *

The dinner was great. Everyone ate their fill and then more. Obviously digimon needed to eat too… and so the DigiDestined, their digimon, Primary village inhabitants, and Adults from the real world all gathered around a huge table and ate till they couldn't eat no more. 

Needless to say there was a lot of mess to clean up afterwards.

The digimon sent home, some of the clumsier DigiDestined, mainly Joe, went off to bed while some helped pick up the dining room.

Raymond sometimes wondered if his son wasn't a klutz on purpose once in a while. It sure did happen to get him out of a lot of jobs that he might not want to do… sighing, he put the dishes he'd been carrying into the sink and made another round back. In the hallway, he could think. Small places somehow stimulated his thought process.

He should really give Joe a break. The kid did have a good heart, and good intentions as he had seen today. It wasn't because he was a wimp that he didn't want to be a doctor, it was because he simply didn't like it! Somehow he wished he could show Joe that helping people in need was a good thing, no it wasn't fun, but that's all right, because helping people made you feel good inside, and that's why people became doctors, to help people!

Slowly he started down the hallway, discarding his thoughts. If Joe didn't want to become a doctor, sure he would be disappointed, but he could live with it and it was not his place to butt in. he just needed to show his son what the good parts of being a doctor were-

_CRAAAAAASSSSHHH_

Raymond's head snapped up, surprised. In the hallway, the blonde boy, Matt, had dropped a few of the bowls he had been carrying. Blushing, the youth bent to pick them up.

Raymond leaned over to help him. As he picked up the bowls, he noticed that his son's friend was trembling slightly. Reaching over, he grasped one of his arms and pulled it towards him "Are you ok? Did you cut yourself or something?" Raymond asked, worried.

The boy quickly snatched his hand away, grabbing the rest of the bowls and standing up nervously. "Yeah, fine." He wiped his forehead.

"Are you sure? You don't look that great…"

"I'm _fine_." The boy's voice rose a couple notches. "I just slipped that's all…" and with that he rushed off to the kitchen.

Staring after the boy, he rubbed his hand where he had touched the boy's wrist. It was ice cold.

"Something's not right…."


	6. The problem with fears

**Ok! Welcome to chapter Six! Not a lot of things happen this chapter… Ok, that really depends. For once I'm typing this _before_ I send it to the document manager. This is because… there has obviously been some confusion on the parents. Here's the list:**

**Raymond Kido: Joe's father**

**Amy: Joe's Mom**

**Rachel: Izzy's mom**

**Chris: Izzy's Dad**

**Yuko: Tai and Kari's mom**

**Jack: Tai and Kari's Dad**

**Nancy: Matt and Tk's mom**

**Richard: Matt and Tk's Dad**

**Cory: Mimi's dad**

**Sarah: Mimi's Mom**

**Terra: Sora's Mom**

**David: Sora's Dad**

… **Well, I think that's everybody. If you see something that contradicts this list, just email me. I'll fix it, if I can figure out how. It works a lot better than you putting it in the reviews, which I hope you are giving me. Anyway…**

**This chapter may be a little bit weird. Really. I know that some of you might find it odd, but bear with me! Even I think it's weird. I also know that this chapter kind of revolves around Sora and Matt, even though I'm trying to get all the characters equal parts in the story, I really mainly planned for it to be about Matt and Sora. I will try harder, of course, to get Tai, Mimi, Kari, and Tk, who have been totally left out of my stories (Ok, not completely) back in the game. … Man, this is the longest intro I've written yet… Anyhoo read and review please!**

_Note: I… Oh forget it. You already know what I'm going to say. … But I like saying it. I do not own … di gi m o n. THERE! I SAID IT! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HA HA HAA … _

_huh?_

* * *

**Ch. 6: The problem with fears**

It was dark in the room that Matt was sleeping in. well, technically, he wasn't sleeping… he was staring up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. He must have misplaced his sleeping pills, he decided, for he couldn't find them anywhere. On the other hand, his room was still a mess from the earth quake earlier. He had picked up the drawers that had fallen out of the dresser, picked up the clothes that had been strewn on the floor, and replaced the small trinkets and books on the not-so-broken shelves around the room. However, there were broken things on the floor, the walls still had cracks on them, and he had to staple the curtains to the bottom of the windowsill to keep the wind from blowing through the broken glass all night.

Not to mention his bed was on the floor. He shifted again. They had taken the frame out of his room, setting his mattress on the floorboards. 'Man, everything looks so _big_ from down here…' he thought, glaring up the bedside table's side. He closed his eyes.

_He was underwater. He couldn't breathe. But that was ok. Or was it? He glanced around. It was so dark down there. He couldn't breathe… he couldn't breathe._

Matt jerked out of his almost-asleep-dream, gasping. He took a minute, curled upright on the bed, knees tucked to his chest and one hand over the side of his face, while the other supported him. He sat there, tired, and looked around.

'It's just the sheets…' Matt thought. 'The sheets are too heavy…' but he knew that wasn't it. Instead of thinking about it, he glanced at the alarm clock.

:12:49:

The big red numbers burned their way into his skull. He rubbed his eyes, muttering. It was too late… erm… early to be up. But there was no way he could sleep. He'd have to see if this place had anywhere cooler where he could sleep. Standing up, he grabbed his slippers and looked in the mirror. He always did that, even more these days. He checked and wondered what he saw. His face really didn't look tired, even though he felt as if there had been an elephant sitting on his chest earlier. His deep blue pajamas stretched down past his ankles and wrists. He wore the heavy black socks he always wore to bed, and black gloves. It was habit, for him to wear black gloves and socks to bed. Sometimes he wondered if other people had such strange habits as he did, and in the back of his mind he remembered mom having to walk around, making sure everything was in its place at least twice before she went to sleep. Dad never really did anything though. He just popped into bed and started a snore-fest. Matt never really thought he ever did anything… sometimes his dad would come home and sleep in his work clothes because he was so tired. He doubted he would ever meet anyone who wore black gloves and socks to bed, though.

He stepped outside his room, feeling a temperature change. 'The warm air must be coming through my window' Matt thought to himself. He shook his head. 'Who could have thought that there would be air conditioning in the digital world?'

Finally he reached the kitchen, surprised to find it occupied. Sora sat at the table, munching slowly on some chips that had been in the storage. She waved half heartedly at Matt as he walked in. he waved back, helping himself to the contents of the refrigerator. Bits and pieces of food filled his vision. Matt saw everything from salsa to escargot, from macaroni to pies. Finally he decided on a chicken drumstick and some rice from the fridge. Sitting down, he watched the doorway as Izzy came in, in the same manner he had.

"So, Sora, what's up?" he asked, curious.

"I got hungry…" she started, picking up another chip and dipping it in the salsa. She bit into it, then grabbed for the drink she had. "Man, that's hot. What about you?" she inquired.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why don't you just use those sleeping pills you used last night?"

"I can't find 'em anywhere." He muttered, taking another chunk out of his drumstick. "And my room is so hot… My window busted open and is letting the heat in. I hadn't realized that this place has air conditioning until I stepped out of my room."

"It's still a mess, huh?" she snickered.

Matt opened his mouth to reply, but Izzy popped down on the other side of Sora. "Wow, I never knew I'd be able to eat again after tonight's supper!" he exclaimed. "I'm so hungry now! How does that work? Maybe I'll do an experiment…" he talked to himself. "Hi guys."

Sora nodded to him. "Hey Izzy. You were hungry too, then."

"You guys too?" he asked, surprised. "But you both ate so much at dinner. I thought I was going to pop!"

Sora giggled at the mental picture he had made. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I did too. I guess I came down here absent mindedly and realized I was hungry when I looked at the fridge."

"Oh." Izzy said, digging into the salad he had pulled out of the fridge.

"Why were you up in the first place?" Matt asked.

"Oh, I was just…" Sora played with the chip she was holding. "Nervous."

There was a creak, and the door opened to reveal Tai, who's hair was unusually messy, and who had an eight year old girl hanging off of his arm. "Hiya!" he exclaimed, sitting down. Kari let go of his hand and made her way to the refrigerator.

"You're both hungry too?" Izzy asked him.

"Well, Kari wasn't about to sleep, and with her jumping around on the bed like that I don't think I would be able to either. I guess she's just hungry. Nervous about what?" he asked suddenly, throwing everyone off course.

Matt struggled with the conversation. "Nervous?" he finally managed.

"Sora said she was nervous. I heard her."

All heads turned to Sora, but were sidetracked as the door opened once more, revealing Tk in the doorway. "Hey, I'm not the only one up!" he exclaimed. "See Joe? I told you there'd be people down here."

Everyone was confused for a minute, until the twelve year old stepped through the doorway. "Oh hi guys." He said politely. They made their way over to the fridge, and Tk pulled out what looked like boiled eggs and Joe grabbed some celery. Munching on their goods, they made their way over. "Hey, wanna play hangman? He asked Kari, who held a chocolate bar.

Tai saw this and reached over. "Kari, I brought you down here so you could get sleepy and not jump up and down on the bed, so no chocolate. You'll be up forever if you eat that. And that means _I'll _be up forever." He snatched away the candy bar and placed it on the table. "Go get something else."

Kari turned to Tk. "Alright, but there has to be more than just us… and I have to get something else to eat." She trotted back over to the fridge.

Matt raised his hand. "I'll play, if I don't have to pick the word." He reached over and grabbed the candy bar, munching on it. "What?" he asked Tai, who was giving him evil looks. "I won't be able to sleep anyway." He protested. Tai glared at him harder, and matt sighed. "Fine, fine, whatever." He placed the candy bar back onto the table. "If you didn't want me to eat it… you should have put it away."

Tai grumbled but obeyed. The candy bar went into the trash as Tk started up what Joe called "a sporting game of hangman." Whatever that meant.

"Um…" Sora bent over the tablet of paper. "C?" she guessed finally.

Tk drew a head.

"So what are you nervous about? 'M'" he told Tk, who put one M on the spaces.

"I…" she attempted to speak. "I think my mom and I have grown apart…" she looked down.

"And you were going to talk about it to her." Matt finished for her.

Mimi walked in through the door. "Oh, Hi! I wasn't expecting to see anyone here! I…" she did a quick count. "Do you know that everyone is here? I mean, except for the parents."

Izzy nodded. "You hungry?"

Mimi walked over. "Well, I did just eat a few hours ago… yes." She admitted. She turned halfway and walked to where everyone else had stopped before they sat at the table, with the exception of Tai. Coming back with an odd looking snack, she held it in front of Izzy's face. "What's this?" she questioned him.

"Leichi Jelly, I think they're from china." He commented. They're very sweet."

"Sweet? Well, I could live with that." She sat down and popped one in her mouth and nearly choked.

Izzy giggled. "You have to take the shell off first!" he exclaimed.

She spit it out into the garbage. Peeling another one, she looked over Tk's shoulder. "What'cha working on?"

"We're doing HANGMAN!" he told her excitedly.

"Can I guess a letter?" she asked.

"Why not?" was his answer. Mimi looked over his shoulder at the paper.

"Wow, that's a lot of spaces! Lessee, um… how about a T?" she guessed.

Tk drew three T's on the paper, and Mimi giggled with delight. Tai turned back to Sora. "Ok, now that everyone's here, there won't be anymore interruptions." He commented, and smiled at her warmly. "Why are you nervous? It seems perfectly fine to me…" he said. "I mean, it's just talking…"

Sora smiled. "I'm just scared, that's all. I wish I had courage like you, Tai."

Joe interrupted. "I think that I missed part of the conversation, what?" he asked, confused.

Matt turned to Joe and the others. "Play-by-play. Here we go, listen so you don't miss anything." The others fell silent. "Sora's mom cares about her. Sora's mom doesn't let her play when she gets a little hurt, Sora tells her mom she hates her. Sora thinks she's been growing apart from her mom. Digital world. Found that out, remember? Anyway. Blah blah blah, defeat digital evil, blah blah blah, come here, see her mom, decides to talk to her about saying what she did, about being distanced from each other. Blah blah blah, comes down here cause she's nervous, I pop in, Izzy pops in, she says she's nervous, Tai pops in, Kari pops in, asks about nervous? What? Then you and Tk come in, we loose track, Tai asks again, Sora says 'I'm nervous because blah blah blah, I say, she's going to talk to her blah blah blah, then Mimi walks in and we totally loose the conversation again." He wrinkled his nose. "Man, that was the longest play-by-play I've ever done. It's all your fault."

Joe crossed his arms. "Well, geez, you don't have to yell at me for it. Go on." He turned to Tk. "S". Tk put one S on the paper.

Kari looked at the paper and said "A", which made Tk write down three A's.

Matt smirked, then looked back at Sora. It was Tai, however, who spoke. "Sora, just because my crest is courage doesn't mean I'm not afraid of things."

Sora looked at him, surprised. "You aren't afraid of anything!" she protested.

He shook his head. "Everyone is afraid of something, silly. I'm afraid of making mistakes… that's why it's so hard for me to be leader. If I make a mistake, what happens? Everything goes down the toilet. To have courage doesn't mean that you aren't afraid of anything… it means that you are afraid and act in spite of it."

Izzy nodded. "Well put, Tai." Tai caught the redhead's eye, and Izzy understood. "I'm also afraid how my parents will react. They don't know that I know I'm adopted." Izzy blushed and changed the subject. "Um… I guess an "L"" he told Tk, who added a body to his stick figure drawing.

Tk looked up into Sora's eyes. "Oh, it's ok Sora. I'm afraid of the dark!"

"Me too." Kari chirped. She whispered in Tk's ear, and he wrote down one I onto the paper.

Mimi leaned over, looking at the hangman game. "Well, don't take all the credit! I'm afraid of large dogs… and praying mantises. N" she added for Tk.

Joe interrupted again. "How about an R? no one has guessed R, right?" he looked at Sora. "I'm afraid of blood. And bugs. And…"

Everyone chorused in. "Nearly everything else, too." They all laughed.

"I'm afraid of spiders…" Sora admitted.

"We kind of guessed that part." Matt joked. Suddenly he found everyone looking at him. He glanced back, confused. "What?" he finally asked.

"So, what are you afraid of?" Tai urged him along.

Matt blushed slightly. "I don't want to tell you. You'll all make fun of me."

"No we won't! Will we guys?" Tai asked everyone.

"Nope."

"Of course not."

"I will!" Tk called out, but as everyone glared at him, he said, "ok, I promise."

Matt looked down at the grain of the wood on the table, and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Tai asked.

"I said I'm afraid of hospitals."

Everyone stared at him for several long moments, then Sora finally spoke up. "You're joking."

Matt raised his hands. "I'm not, seriously! Like… there was one time when I was playing in the park and I fell out of a tree and hit my head. I woke up in the hospital… well, there's a doctor I know there really well because I'm so afraid of hospitals, so whenever I have to go in there he has to supervise and make sure I don't freak out."

"By that time, I had been there enough that he developed a thing that suppressed my emotions, like fear, that I could use to keep from freaking out and hurting myself or someone else. It had been late at night when I hit my head and it had been his day off, so they called his cell phone to tell him I had landed myself in the hospital. He told them to give me the syrup and that he would be there in half an hour. But this one nurse who was supposed to give it to me forgot because there was this patient who was having a heart attack, and he was my roommate, so she took care of him and moved him into another room. she came back and I was starting to wake up, and so she decided to give me the medicine in a shot instead of letting me drink it."

"Why would that be?" Sora asked.

"So it gets into his system faster." Joe clarified.

Matt blushed. "Anyway, I had woken up and started panicking, and when she tried to give me a shot I swatted it out of her hand and it went strait into the wall. They still have a hole there where it went in. I nearly hospitalized the poor woman." Matt closed his eyes. "Thankfully my doctor arrived there and fixed everything. But it's still embarrassing…"

"Man, that would be awful," Joe commented. "Seeing as how I might be a doctor someday."

"Speaking of which," Matt said. "Have you talked to your dad?"

"OH, yeah. I asked him to back off a bit and he said ok. It turned out kind of nicely… now that I think of it. I promised him that I would be a doctor if I couldn't figure out what I wanted to be by the time I go into college. Or was that high school?" he asked no one in particular.

Matt looked over Tk's shoulder. "Hey, let me guess a letter! Um… 'W'." Tk scrawled on the paper.

"K". Mimi added, reminded of the game.

"How bout a 'Y'?" Sora put in, then blushed.

Tai turned to Sora. "See, everyone is afraid of something. Don't worry, you'll get enough courage to stand up and talk to your mother."

Matt sat back in his chair, spooning rice into his mouth. "You see, that's the problem with fears. Everyone has them and no one likes them. fears are just the way your body lets you know what you like or don't like." He took another spoonful of rice.

"Just do whatever you think is right." Tai finished.

Sora nodded. "Thanks Tai. I feel much better now. I think I'll talk to her after breakfast tomorrow." Sora turned back to the game. "Wow, you guys have it almost done! Um… F." she guessed.

Tai looked at Matt. "Are you going to finish that? He asked curiously, pointing to the drumstick and rice on his plate.

"Yup!" he replied, glancing over to the paper. "Is there an O?"

"My turn!" Izzy exclaimed. "G!"

"E? no one's done E!"

"Gosh what's that last word? Um… P."

Tai looked at the table. Everyone had food. His stomach growled, but no one noticed. Everyone was absorbed in the game.

"M? no you already guessed that. Try another letter."

"But what two letter words end in E?"

"Be?" Izzy offered.

"That's good, that's good. B then."

It was amusing watching them go at it. Tai looked around, thinking. 'But I can't spell to save my life. Ok, I could, but I'm still bad…' he eyed the paper, but found he couldn't see it from where he was seated.

"Hm…"

"I think we need a vowel."

"U then."

There was some scribbling, and everyone sat back on their seats. "Ohh…"

"That's what that last word is! H!"

"The last word is H?"

"No, silly, look at the paper!"

"Well, how do you get H out of that?"

Someone sighed. "Write it in, Tk."

"… oh. I get it." The voice from earlier said. "wait. I don't' get it."

"What?"

"What kind of hangman puzzle is that, Tk?" Matt muttered.

"I got it out of one of your books, Matt." Was the eight-year-old's reply.

Matt nodded. "hold on, why were you in my books?"

"Um…" Tk stopped and dashed off.

"You come back here and tell me what you did with my book! Which one was it? The big brown one with gold letters? Or…" he dashed off after his little brother.

"It is kind of odd, isn't it? Sora asked, holding up the tablet to her face.

"Yes, it certainly is." Mimi said, popping another leichi jelly into her mouth. "Well, I'm beat. Time for bed!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I'd better get some rest too." Joe added.

Kari looked up at her brother. "I'm ready for bed now, Tai."

Tai's mouth quivered. "But… but…" he tried. "I'm not! Gosh I'm so hungry!"

Kari shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"you should have gotten food while everyone else did" Sora commented, pushing in her chair. "Well, goodnight!" they walked out the door, shutting it behind them.

Tai stood in the empty kitchen, wondering where Izzy had gone off to. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, before his stomach let out another large growl. He headed to the refrigerator, and pulled out a ton of snacks. Eating them, he leaned on the table. Finally he was done, but he grabbed some milk. He drank it, thinking. Finally, out of curiosity, he reached over and grabbed the hangman sheet.

"_Be wary of your nightmares, be wary of the truth"._

Tai looked at the sheet with large eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he wondered aloud. Now he could see what they had all been talking about. He glared at the paper, then shrugged. If he really wanted to know he would just ask Matt after he got his fill of chasing down his little brother. "I'm glad I have a sister. Although, when she's older, she'll end up hogging the bathroom. Right now though, she's not too bad.

He let the paper float behind him, back onto the table. He put his milk glass away, and turned.

The paper was gone.


	7. Dream

Yes! as you may notice, this entire chapter is about... well, dreams. Give it up for Italicised words! Whoooo! anyway, Italic's mean that the person is dreaming. I tried to establish that in the erlier chapters, but I'm not sure that I got through to you... and now it's important.

I don't have everyone's dreams in here. I tried to break the whole'Matt and Sora' concentration thing, but to no avail. It simply doesn't work that well in this story, since the entire thing (in my mind) revovled around those two. This is a great chapter to put your thinking caps on, because everything is encoded... Remember, I never say anything with out a reason. ...

ok, Mimi's dream was kind of without a reason. but still...

* * *

_NOTE: I do not own digimon. If I did, I would probably get a BETTER GOD THEME SONG! I MEAN SERIOUSLY!__HAVE YOU EVER LISTENED TO THAT THING AND GOT IT STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? IT'S **ANNOYING!**_

Enjoy.

* * *

**Ch. 7: Dream**

_Dream_

_Surely it was just a dream._

_But it didn't matter._

_Matt looked around him. Where was he? He was in the place he always was. It wasn't fair. He wanted to go somewhere else. Why was he always here? He glanced around. He was underwater._

_He couldn't breathe. But that was ok. Because he never needed to breathe. He had been under here for years. Breathing was not a priority anymore. He just wished it wasn't so dark. _

_It was so dark. The bubbles had no shine. The earth he stood on was pure black. Even so, he could tell he was at the bottom. Looking up, he could see there was light. There was light at the top, just like there always was. Why didn't it ever come down here? He wondered lazily. It wasn't fair. It was so bright up there, and so dark down here. The only thing that made the two the same… it didn't matter._

_There was no one there. _

_He was alone._

_Just like always._

_Well, it didn't matter. There was no one? Hah! There had never been anyone. Not since he had watched them walk away. When he had first found himself at the bottom of this hole. _

_Yes, it had been a hole once. For some reason, it had just filled up with water. For some reason, he was now in a giant lake. For some reason, he didn't care. _

_Matt looked up, fully aware that he was dreaming. His doctor told him that he could actually keep track of his dreams while he was having them; he could decipher what dreams he had had the past years, the past days, the past minutes. He could tell what was different… and that was why he didn't need a dream diary when he had to do those stupid tests._

_He had had this dream since he was very little. To him it was a relaxing dream, he was always underwater, he could hear the sounds of the water around him, and there was no one to disturb his peace. It really **didn't **matter, that he was alone in his dream, it really **didn't **matter, that he was practically drowning._

_At least, not until recently._

_He looked up. It was strange, he had never looked up in his dream so much in the entire time he had it. He had never looked up in his dream the entire time he could remember. But recently he had to look up. It was different up there. Different…_

_There were people up there._

_Ever since he had gone to the digital world there had been people there. Sure, sometimes Allen popped in, but he never really ever stayed long. But when he came to the digital world, the dream had started to change. His arms and legs and chest and even his head had started to feel heavier, weighing him down. There had been people… first Tk, then Tai, then Sora, then all the sudden everyone else. Even his parents and the parents of his friends and the digimon started appearing up there. Why were the people important?_

_He looked around he couldn't breathe, he was under water. The problem was, because of the weights on his body, because everything had been getting heavier, he couldn't move either. This had happened before, though. When he had gotten sick… the dream always changed with his health. The dream always changed with his experiences, like his parents splitting up. The dream always changed with his wants and needs._

_He was confused. Why couldn't he breathe? Why … was that important? He had never needed to breathe. It upset his dream. When he needed to breathe, he couldn't think of anything else._

_No. it didn't bother him. If he needed to breathe, he would have to go up and breathe. _

_And he would do that!_

_Just as soon as the weights on his arms…_

_And legs…_

_And body…_

_Got lighter. He couldn't swim with this weight on his limbs. It was impossible. He would sink like a rock. With that thought in mind, he looked up dully. He couldn't breathe, and he needed to breathe, but he didn't need to breathe NOW. He would breathe when he could. He would wait. He turned his attention to the people outside the pond._

_There was someone there. In fact, there were several people there. He forgot he needed to breathe and watched the scene before him. Tk ran around, smiling. Joe sat on a rock, talking to Izzy. Izzy looked from Joe to his parents, standing in the corner. His parents talked quietly between themselves. his parents… _

_Now that was odd. His parents were standing on either sides of the group, which was natural in the dream, but they were looking at each other. That had never happened before. Why were they looking at each other?_

_Something else strange… tai's head was cocked to the side. He was staring at his little sister, who in turn was looking at Tk. Matt chuckled. He must have finally noticed. _

_And… there was one of the adults… he was talking to Joe. It looked like Joe's dad. He kept glancing into the pool, like he was nervous or something. _

_Where was Sora? Sora was talking to Mimi and smiling. She was glancing at her mom. Over and over again._

'_Looking at someone must mean you are going to talk to them in the near future…' Matt thought to himself. Suddenly, Sora broke away, following a butterfly. She stopped at the edge of the lake-pool and looked down, surprised. She glanced back at Mimi, then down into the water again. She did this several times, Matt watched curiously. _

_Slowly, hesitantly, Sora kneeled by the pool, her eyes on Matt._

_She just sat there, sat there, sat there. Looking at him. _

_He looked up at her. He wanted to go up there._

_He couldn't breathe. But the weight on his limbs just kept growing heavier and heavier. He would have to wait until they were done. He couldn't breathe…_

_He couldn't breathe._

* * *

The next thing he knew, Matt was staring at the ceiling of his room. He wasn't exactly breathing hard, but he was breathing deeply. He sat on his mattress for several long minutes, then looked at his pillow. 

"What was that about?"

* * *

_Sora waited._

_Wait. Why was she waiting? _

…

_It didn't matter. She sat back and looked at where she was, confused. 'What happened?' she asked herself. 'Where am I?' _

_Around her there were tall cliffs. Mountains surrounded the area, and the once bright blue sky was beginning to fade into a deep navy. The clouds were small and wispy, and the wind was almost non existent. It was a very nice night to be wherever this was, she decided. _

_Sora laid back on the rock she was sitting on, staring up at the sky, which was getting darker each moment. Soon, she realized, the stars would show. It was getting darker around her, but why? There was no sun. Was there? She wondered curiously, and sat up to scan the horizon. _

_In the distance there was a giant digimon. 'Uh…' Sora said aloud, feeling dumb. The digimon was far away, but seemed to be running towards her. She narrowed her eyes to see better, and saw that it was Greymon, sprinting across the hills and peaks headed for her. On the great dinosaur's back was a smaller figure with brown hair. _

_Sighing with relief, she slumped back onto the rock. For a minute there she was afraid it had been an enemy digimon looking for a fight, which would have been bad. Biyomon was nowhere to be found. Sora scratched the back of her neck absent mindedly, waiting for the two to arrive as the world around her got darker. A slight mist rolled in, making everything seem softer. Even through the mist, though, Sora could see Greymon and his rider coming closer. She waited._

_Finally Greymon arrived at her cliff. Stopping by her, the giant digimon waved. Sora came over and patted Greymon's horn, and the digimon rubbed his head against her hand. 'We're here' the giant dinosaur told his rider._

_The human slid down and made the leap off the digimon to the earth. Laughing, the figure turned to Greymon. 'Thanks Greymon. Was I too heavy?' _

'_No of course not!' the digimon replied, shocked. 'You could never be to heavy!' _

_Sora turned to her friend. 'Hey, what's up? What are you doing here? Did you get lost? Probably.' She answered her own question. 'You seem to be prone to getting lost, sometimes.' She joked and dodged a half-hearted kick. 'No, really. Why'd you come all this way to see me?'_

_Her friend looked at her, then to Greymon. 'It wasn't that far,' was the reply she got. _

_Sora shook her head. 'No really. Why'd you come here? It took you all day.'_

_Her friend's mouth opened and closed, eyes shining with worry. The Digidestined's hands continually pulled through long brown hair. 'I… wanted to talk to you Sora…' _

_Sora watched her friend. 'About…' she started cautiously. _

_Deep amber-brown eyes lit on Sora. 'About matt. Does he seem right to you?'_

_Sora gasped. 'Of course! He told me he's never been better. I think… anyway, I'm sure he did, and he wouldn't lie to me…' Sora's hopeful mood was destroyed as her drifted to the ground. 'Well, not really. I'm… I'm not sure about him. He's always so secretive though, so it's not like you can walk up to him and say "HEY, HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK?" like an idiot and expect to get a better answer than "of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"' Sora kicked a rock and watched it roll down the hill. Turning to her friend, she asked 'why would you ask? Do you think…'_

_The digidestined's eyes met and they both looked away at the same time. Sora listened as her friend talked. "I… I don't really know. He just seems wrong lately. And what I was thinking… was why matt would have a book on dream philosophy…'_

_Sora glanced up from the ground. 'Where'd you get that from?' she looked intently at her friend, worried. Suddenly her friend seemed like a stone statue in front of her._

_In Sora's mind, the statue shrugged, afraid. 'Ok, Sora, don't attack me.' _

_Sora shook her head. 'Sorry. I didn't mean… I was just surprised that he would tell you something like that and not tell me…' she felt sad suddenly._

'_He didn't TELL me…' _

'_Then you were snooping around?' she turned just in time to see her friend glare angrily at her. 'Ok, so you don't seem like the type to snoop, but you could have…'_

'_For your information,' the irritated digidestined informed her sternly, 'I don't snoop. I thought it because of the hangman game tonight, remember? Well, actually it was this morning… anyway, the quote was from a book. Remember what Tk said?' _

_Sora nodded. _

'_Well, that quote wasn't something you'd see in an ordinary book, don't you think? I asked Izzy about it and he said it sounded like the book his grandfather used to have because it helped him with his sleeping disorders. Why would matt have such a book?' _

_Sora shook her head. 'I… I still don't believe it. It just seems so unnatural. And Matt would have told us…' she stopped and looked at her friend's deep amber-brown eyes again. They were comforting, and almost made her forget her worries. She sighed and shook her head. It didn't matter. Matt didn't have to tell them everything, after all. She looked at her friend with hope filled eyes. 'What should we do?' she asked._

'_We should watch him. More importantly…' a smile lit on the child's face. 'YOU should watch him.' _

_Sora gasped again. 'M… me? Why? Why not… Izzy, or Joe, or…'_

'_Because you like him.' _

_Sora looked down at the ground, sighing. Finally she turned to her friend. 'Yes, yes you are right. I … I love him.' She looked even gloomier. 'But I don't think he likes me.'_

'_Think again.' _

'_What?'_

'_I said think again. He likes you.'_

_Sora looked at her friend, exasperated. 'Oh. And how would you know that?'_

'_How do you think? I talked to Tk.' _

'_And he knew?'_

'_And he knew.'_

_She glared at the figure before her. 'Seriously. You are acting like such a know it all. All of you Kamiya's are so irritating… sometimes.' She softened her tone. 'Really?'_

_All she got for a reply was a wink and 'well, maybe, maybe not…' _

_Sora clenched her fist and ran at her friend, who had already jumped onto Greymon's back. 'Hey! You get back here! Do you here me? Does he like me or not?'_

_The great digimon made a complete circle around the mountain, intentionally angering Sora. Finally they stopped. 'Of course. You two really ARE blind to not see it. Even IZZY has seen it. Really.' Her friend looked at her sternly once more. 'Now. It's up to you. You have to figure out what's wrong with Matt. Something's not right.' _

_Sora nodded. And her friend went on. 'After all, he said you would be the first to know.'_

_With those words, the scenery around them disappeared. The steadily darkening sky disappeared, the mountains vanished, Greymon was gone. All that was left were the two digidestined. Sora looked around, surprised._

_Finally she turned to her friend. 'Hey, where'd my dream go?' _

_Kari stood there, not listening. _

"After all,"_ she said, her voice almost real. She began walking away. _"He said you would be the first to know."

_Silence. _

* * *

Sora sat up in bed, fists closed tightly around her sheets, beads of sweat around her brow. Where had her dream gone? Why had Kari been riding Greymon? Did she really mean that matt loved her? No… that was just a dream. But she said that there was something wrong with matt. And said something that she hadn't known before, that matt had a dream whachamacallit. How could she have imagined that? 

She sat up nervously in her bed, reaching for her water. She let the thoughts run through her mind, then she shook her head. It wasn't time to think about that now. She had to sleep.

Sora lay back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. After a minute, she sighed and turned to watch the window. Maybe the sun would rise, then she wouldn't have to sleep…

* * *

_Nancy watched her son, Tk, as he shifted in his sleep. She had stopped in to put some of his belongings back into his room, which somehow always made their way to hers. Sighing, she walked over to her sleeping son. He looked so peaceful, she thought. Probably dreaming of sweets and candy and cakes. She chuckled. She did that sometimes, usually right after she had a ton of sweets and candy and cakes, which pretty much described what had been for dinner that night. She spoiled him rotten, even though she knew it would get her into trouble sooner or later._

_She closed the door to his room and stepped into the hallway of her lonely house. She spent a lot of time here, sometimes shifting through papers in search of a better paying job, and sometimes writing for the paper, her current job. _

_Nancy pulled at her hair. She had such a hard time finding a job… but that was mostly because she refused to work anywhere BUT home. She had vowed the day that Richard left that she would not be a work-aholic mother. It had its perks, like being able to see her son when he got home or cooking dinner for the two of them and not being in a rush, or having a constantly clean house, but the pay for her column in the news paper wasn't very much, and so the went through life without some of the things that she would have liked. _

"_It doesn't matter, though, because spending time with my son is my top priority." She said to herself as she spooned up a midnight snack into a bowl. "Family comes first"_

"_Does it really mom?"  
_

_Nancy spun around in surprise, finding her older son before her. "M-Matt, what are you doing here?"_

_Matt just looked at her with sad eyes._

_Nancy stood for a moment, then hurried to the phone. "You shouldn't really be here, Matt. You should be at HOME in BED getting rest for tomorrow, don't you have school in the morning?" she inquired, lifting the phone off the hook and starting to dial._

"_Don't bother with the phone. No one's home." _

_She froze. Turning slowly, she glared at the eleven year old. "What do you mean, no one's home?" she demanded. _

_All Matt did was shrug. "I'm sure you know what I mean." Matt looked at her, ice blue eyes sad again. _

_Nancy hesitated, then hung up the phone. "You mean…" Matt nodded. "Your father was out late. Again." Yamato kept nodding. "And so you came to my house…" he just kept nodding. "Alone."_

"_Yes."_

"_WHY IN GODS NAME WOULD YOU DO THAT?" She screamed, then threw her hands over her mouth, remembering that Tk was asleep in the room next to her. After a minute with no sound, she lifted her hands from her mouth and looked at him, questions filling in her head. "How long has this been happening?"_

"_Since you left." _

"_Do you ever see him at ALL?"_

"_Oh, when he comes home, I wave at him before he crashes on the bed. I'm usually doing homework till then anyway." _

"_Why did you wait until now to tell me?"_

"_I wasn't planning on telling you _that._"_

_Nancy stopped, confused. What did he mean by that? He had told her… well, actually, she had guessed, but surely he had meant to tell her… right? "What do you mean, Yamato?" _

"_It's Matt."_

"_Whatever."_

_Matt opened his mouth, then closed it again. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I… I need to tell you something mom…"_

* * *

When Nancy woke up, she found she was staring intently at the ceiling. She sighed, and rubbed her eyes. It was only four o'clock. 

What was it he wanted to tell her? She kicked at her sticky, hot sheets in frustration. It wasn't fair. She had woken up before he could tell her. And what made matters worse, the more she thought about how sad blunt he had been, the more and more guilty she had felt. Sure, it was just a dream… but…

What if her dream was his reality?

* * *

_Terra sighed happily. She was at the mall, looking into a window of a store. Behind it lay a vacant spot, right there, in between the diamond rings and the beautiful ankle bracelets and the gold earrings and the semi precious stones, where the huge diamond necklace used to be. _

_The reason this made terra Takenouchi happy was the fact that the same diamond necklace that had been in the store ten minutes ago was now around her neck. She had also gotten a beautiful green men's ring for her husband and a sapphire necklace for her daughter. _

_Terra could not be happier right now. She had just won the lottery of five and a half million yen, which, after she had bought groceries, paid the apartment's rent, and hired a cleaning lady with, seemed like a lot of money (well, it WAS.) so she had decided to go shopping with her daughter. _

_She fingered the sapphire necklace. Sapphire was Sora's favorite stone in the world. She was glad she was doing something nice for her, instead of ruining her life. She looked around. "Sora?" she called._

"_I'm right here mom."_

_Terra turned at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Oh honey. There you are. Here, do you want this? I bought it for you…" she held out the necklace._

"_I hate you."_

"_What?" Terra asked, shocked._

"_I said I. Hate. You." Sora's eyes filled up with tears. "I was going to buy it for myself! How could you be so mean?" she yelled in her face and then ran off, crying. _

_Terra looked at the necklace, then at her daughter, sad. Would she always hate her? Could she never make amends? Sora meant everything to her and what did Sora want to do? Go get hurt. What could she do to stop her? It was either protect and get hated or let her baby get hurt. It was a tough decision. _

_Sometimes she wondered if she had made the right one…_

* * *

Terra awoke suddenly. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and glanced at her clock. 

**4:54**

The green clock face read a little before five am. Normally she would go get a snack from the kitchen, but for some reason, she didn't feel hungry at the moment.

* * *

_Tai was running in the digital world. It wasn't because he was afraid, or because he was getting exercise, it was because he was racing somebody. _

"_Haha! Catch me if you can, sucker!" He raced down farther, passing a large rock, then a tree. _

"_Whoa, Tai, hold on! I can't run that fast!" Matt's voice came from behind him. _

_Tai rolled his eyes. Like he was going to pull over for Matt before they finished the race. He ran faster towards the goal, a large tree; larger than any he had ever seen. Matt should know better than try and cheat! He ran and ran and finally, after a bit, reached their destination. _

_Tai put his hands on his knees and breathed hard. He had beaten Matt! That boy was such a slowpoke. Sometimes he wondered why it was such an accomplishment to outrun him every race they had when he did it all the time… but all that mattered was that he won. _

_Tai sat against the gigantic trunk, cooling off. Now he would wait. He could see Matt in the distance, well, sort of, and he seemed to be going slower than usual. It was going to be a long wait._

_Looking up at the clouds, he saw the face of his sister. In fact, if he looked hard enough, he could see everyone. Every last one of his digidestined friends was up in the clouds, if you were creative enough to see them. Kari stood out the most, though._

_She always stood out._

_That was the strange part. Kari never got lost, Kari never got shoved away, Kari was never ignored. At first Tai had thought it was because she was always so sickly, but then he changed his hypothesis to it was the fact that she was smart and cute, un-ignorable. Nowadays though, it seemed to be because she had the crest of light._

_Maybe it was special._

_Kari had always been special, not because she was his sister, but because of the way she acted. It seemed she could make predictions, or see the future, or see things that weren't there, like the digimon. _

_Tai sighed and looked at the Kari in the clouds. It was a dream, so he did a dream-ish thing… he asked her a question._

"_Can you make a prediction for me?"_

_He didn't expect an answer, but he got one._

"_I really don't need to. You're making one by yourself."_

_Tai looked at his sister framed in fluffy white clouds. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" he asked her, standing up._

_There were footsteps behind him. Matt had finally caught up with him. _

"_Hey Matt! You're such a slow poke." He laughed and turned. The boy had his hands on his knees and was panting hard, like Tai had been a few minutes ago. "Why are you so worn out? It's not like you were running hard…"_

_Matt looked up into his friend's eyes. Suddenly he was surrounded by a dark cloud, one that seemed to cling to his body. The dark mist shifted, but never left him. The darkness was in his eyes, his hair, his body, his movements… what was that? Tai started backing up, afraid. _

_Matt collapsed on the ground. _

* * *

"NO!" Tai sat up screaming. 

Yuko popped her head in the door. "Hey, Tai, is everything alright?" she asked, worried.

"Y-Yeah. Just…" Tai wiped his forehead. "A bad dream. It's nothing."

His mother nodded and left.

Tai stared at the closed door for a minute then lay back down on the bed. 'I don't know if I'll ever sleep now…' he thought.

* * *

_Mimi was sitting on the bed, pulling on a new pair of expensive shoes. After she got them on, she stood up and examined herself in the mirror. _

"_Oh, don't I look wonderful today…" she mused, turning a 360 in front of the mirror. _

"_OF course you do." That was Joe from the doorway. He stepped forward. "Here, I got you this…" he held out a gold chain with a green and pink tulip on it. _

_She reached out and took it, trying it on. "Oh, wow. Isn't this the best?" some people walked into the room, dressed like butlers and maids. She leaned at the windowsill, staring out onto the beautiful castle grounds and moat. There was an elephant standing on it's trunk and front legs in the courtyard, and there was jousting in another. The sky was filled with cotton candy, and it was just sunny enough. She sighed._

"_It's perfect." _

"_So are you…" Joe stepped closer to her. _

_Mimi waited for a second, fingering the necklace he had given her. Then she turned to Joe and threw her arms around him. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it?" she asked happily._

"_Oh, ah, ok… I will…"_

"_And I'll listen."_

_Joe fiddled with the red and blue polka dotted tie he was wearing. Finally, his face growing redder and redder, he mumbled:_

"_I love you…"_

* * *

Mimi turned over in her sleep, smiling. "I know you do…" she said in her dream, and fell silent. Nothing would disturb her tonight…

* * *

_Tk sat in his brother's room, alone. Well, SAT wasn't the right word, because he was pulling out books, examining them, then either placing them back into the bookshelf or putting them in his bag. Since the bookshelf was three times as tall as he was, even pulling some books from the second lowest shelf would be a challenge if he had been sitting. _

_Matt never read any of these books. Most of them anyway. 'He had read all of them, right around when his dad and my mom split up…' Tk thought to himself. Matt had obtained a deep interest in reading right around the time when he had been waiting for dad to come home or for their parents to stop fighting. It was Odd timing, or at least it was in Tk's opinion. Apparently, he had also read a lot in the time after they had moved back, after the divorce. _

_Matt had explained that since he no longer needed the books on his bookshelf, Tk could borrow any number of them for any amount of time. 'Anything on the bookshelf'. _

_Well, that just happened to include over six hundred books to choose from. _

_Tk had already been through a few times, trying his best to find books that didn't look boring. He found, after his first time, that even though all the books had strange, non colorful covers, the inside was very unique and interesting; unlike anything he had ever read before. His brother's room was really a place where the saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover' really came into play. There were several books on sleep and symbols, dreams, nightmares, but there were also several on things he had never heard of like the 'philosopher's stone,' or 'wizardry'. He was getting into some of the harder books, having read all the ones he thought he could understand. Even if he didn't understand, Matt had said he could borrow any of the books, and that was precisely what he intended to do. _

_He pulled another one, labeled 'unicorn and Pegasus, mystic horses.' Which he thought about, then pulled at the binding and stuffed into his bag. After all, his mom liked horses. He would have to be careful not to mention it was Matt's book, though. The last time he did that she freaked out and called dad to come pick up the book. Tk shook his head. What was the point? She never wanted to see dad again, so she threw out anything that was his or from his house, but when it was Matt's stuff, she called over dad to pick it up, instead of throwing it away. Weird._

_Tk lifted his pack, and found it fairly heavy. 'That's enough,' he decided. 'if I choose too much more I won't be able to get it home to read it…' he stepped towards the doorway and ran into Matt's chair he had been using to get the books from the top shelves._

_Tk sighed and dropped his bag, and pulled the chair over to where it belonged; over by the desk. He set it right where he found it, but pushed it too far, knocking the desk. _

_From the desk, knocked off balance from the chair, was a big, _

_Fat_

_Brown_

_Book. _

_THUMP! The book fell to the ground loudly. Tk cringed, listening for his brother to yell at him, telling him not to break anything yada yada yada. When none came, he cautiously opened one eye. _

_There on the floor was the book. It was bigger than all the other books he had seen, almost the size of the bible his grandmother had. No, it was even bigger. The thing must have been at least an inch thick, if not thicker, and was almost as tall when you sat it upright as Tk's waist. _

_Tk looked at the fallen book. _

_Oh boy._

_How am I ever going to lift it? _

_To all appearances, that thing weighed a hundred tons!_

_But Matt wouldn't want it lying on his floor…_

_Tk glanced around his brother's room._

…

_Ok, maybe he wouldn't notice. But still… it was wrong. He couldn't just leave one of his brother's things on the floor! He walked over to it nervously. Putting his fingers under it, he braced himself and pulled._

… _And fell backwards. _

"_Whoa!" Tk exclaimed, holding the book up. It was feather light. Tk bounced it up and down, then held it up with one hand. 'Must be hollow…' he thought, opening it. _

_Every page was filled with a strange text. _

_Tk closed the book, confused. He looked for a title. There was none on the binding… and none on the first page. On the cover though… _

_He waved his hand over the glossy surface. The book had appeared brown like leather, but now holding it… it seemed more like suede. The colors were constantly changing, as if it was some metal or something. There was a part that actually looked metal, where the name should have been engraved. He ran a hand over it…_

_**Secrets**_

_Oh. Maybe it was Matt's diary… Tk slid one finger under the cover and first page…_

_There was a slam downstairs. Voices drifted up; voices that belonged to Matt and his friends. Tk hesitated, trying to decide what to do… _

_He shoved it in his pack, closing it quickly. He would borrow the book, just for a while. Just for a little bit… and return it with the other books. _

_Matt walked through the door. "Hey, Tk. All done?" he asked. "I'd better get you home." _

* * *

Tk opened his eyes, and found he was in bed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. 

It wasn't fair. He liked that book. Whenever he had that dream, he always felt guilty. Sometimes he wondered if he should have ever taken it…

It was exactly as it was in his dream. The books he had borrowed from Matt… they had been returned a long time ago. It had been almost half a year since he had borrowed one of Matt's books. Still, he had kept Matt's book, the one called secrets. He had always been intrigued with the book. Whenever he opened it there seemed to be something new in it… something he hadn't read before. There were always quotes he didn't understand, there were always odd letters he couldn't read right in the middle of sentences, the book always seemed a different color. There was no two ways about it… that book was magical.

Tk had sometimes wondered if Matt ever missed the book, if he ever had looked for it. His answer had come that night, when he had mentioned it to Matt by accident. Matt had caught up to him and asked him for the book, and Tk had cried, saying he meant to give it back, and that he never meant to keep it, but it was so interesting he couldn't help it… and Matt had felt guilty and let him keep it for the time being. As long as they were in the digital world, Matt had said, he could claim it as his own.

As long as they were in the digital world, that book was _his._

Hopping out of bed, Tk opened the beautiful almost-leather cover. There again was the page with the odd letters. Tk knew that this was probably the only page that was completely full of it. He wasn't sure if it was Korean or Chinese, or what, but it certainly wasn't English… and it certainly wasn't Japanese.

Tk flipped the second page over. On the third page was a new quote, same as always.

_Change can only be made… when someone changes something._

Tk looked at the words. This one actually made some sort of sense. He tugged at the page for a minute, then closed the book. He had a strange feeling…

That something was going to happen.


	8. The Talk

Wow. it's been an entire month since I've updated. (such an idiot.) well, all things considered, It's still up and running. I bring you the eighth chapter... (bumba bumm...) THE TALK! ok, so it could have been better, maybe 'a talk' would have been fine, but don't say things like 'the talk? there was nothing about a boy and girl together in here... what are you getting at?' in your reviews, thank you very much. anyhoo, please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. remember to read and review, once the tour is over, and please enjoy your trip.

_NOTE: Before reading the Text below, if you have any complaints or concerns on the owners and/ or the makers of digimon in this story and wish to sue fanfiction dot net for copyright violations, Please get out a pencil and paper and print the words "I do not own digimon" several thousand times in succession. Thank you. Beep_

* * *

**CH. 8 The talk**

Joe groaned and sat up, banging the top of his constantly beeping alarm clock. When it stopped, either off or broken surely, he blinked and pushed on his thick rimmed glasses. Looking around, he noted that his room was a mess, and reached for a notepad that he kept by his bed to write a reminder to himself.

**6:27**

The bold letters of his digital clock etched themselves on his thick glasses. For a minute he faltered, then sat up out of bed, trying to remember what he had been about to do. "Man," He mumbled. "Why did I wake up so early?"

He sighed to himself. "Oh well. I might as well get up. Whatever my dream was about, I really didn't like it. If I have to sit in bed for half an hour before falling asleep and having a nightmare or something, I might as well not even try." He heaved himself out of bed, found his clothes and put them on, remembered that he was going to write down that he needed to clean his room, searched his place for three and a half minutes before finding the notebook under his bed, then scratched it onto the long list that was on the paper. Finally, he headed out the door, stopping only to brush his blue hair strait for the millionth time.

Downstairs, he looked around the kitchen. Everyone in the house seemed to be up, and every last one of them seemed to be half dead. Matt and Tai sat at the island kitchen counter, Matt leaning on his hands and Tai with is face hidden in his arms, as though he was sleeping. Izzy sat at a table, punching lazily at his laptop with one finger, while Kari sat and rubbed her eyes at his feet. His mother, Nancy, was standing at the refrigerator with the door open, looking dully at its contents while Mr. Ishida did the same to the coffee pot in the corner. Sora's mom and dad sat in the corner, Mrs. Takenouchi's head lying on Mr. Takenouchi's shoulder. Sora's father was reading a magazine, flipping the pages and not really reading whatever it had to say, (which was a good sign, since the magazine in his hand was entitled 'playboy'). Izzy's father walked in, looking at the ground with seriously tired eyes. Everyone else seemed to be unmoving and tired in this manner as well.

Joe sat down next to Matt and looked at the kitchen filled with the half-dead zombies. "Where's Mimi?" he asked Matt as Sora, who was in the same condition as every one else, walked through a swinging door on the far side of the room.

"Oh, shut up." He answered, and rubbed his eyes. "Get some breakfast or something. Don't talk to me."

"Geez, fine, don't bite my head off." Tai mumbled to him.

Joe rolled his eyes. "He was talking to me genius." He retorted. "No one seems to be having a great time at the moment, do they?"

"No. why are you still talking?"

"I didn't say anything, Matt!" Tai snapped back.

"I said that to Joe."

"Oh."

Joe covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. "Well, whatever. I'm going to have some breakfast. I'll get cereal, I think. That's nutritional…"

"Knock yourself out." Matt said dully.

"Now look at that. You're the one who keeps jabbering on and on. Don't look at me if you want it to be quiet!" Tai covered his ears and pouted.

Matt turned to Tai. "No really, knock yourself out. Or I could do it for you…"

Joe got up and Sora took his place. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "Is anyone sitting here?" and without waiting for a reply folded her arms and put her head on top of it, and to all appearances, went to sleep.

"Whatever." Joe pulled down some of the cereal boxes from the cupboard. He inspected each one carefully as he searched for bowls and spoons in the kitchen. Finally he settled on Chex and made his way to the table where Izzy was sitting. Placing his bowl, spoon, choice of cereal and milk on the table, he pulled out the chair.

"Ouch. Joe, watch it please."

"Oops, sorry Kari. I have to use this chair… Sora took mine."

"Sora's up?" she asked, more awake now.

"Yeah. She's right over there." Joe pointed to the girl who had taken his chair. "She took my spot. It was kind of rude, but whatever."

"I wanna talk to her."

"Knock yourself out." Joe said, imitating Matt.

Kari made her way over to the digidestined of love. She stood at her feet and waited until Sora opened one eye. "Yeah? Oh, Kari. Guess what?" she sat upright and ran her fingers through her hair. "I had a dream about you last night. You were riding Greymon."

"Why was she riding Greymon? He's MY digimon." Tai protested, before being bopped on the head by Matt.

"I had a dream that I was riding Greymon too. And I talked to you." She said.

"You told me that Matt had a book on sleep philosophy or something."

Kari nodded, and then held up a hand. "Waitwaitwaitwaitwiat Are you saying we had the same dream?" Kari demanded the older child.

"Uh…" Sora said stupidly.

"It's impossible. Don't even bother with that concept, Sora." Izzy said, seeming more awake now. "Although, I do say, it's pretty interesting that you would have something relatively close in your dreams like that. I must say I'm impressed. Perhaps it is possible…" his brain wandered off into oblivion.

"Looks like Izzy's brain just went off into oblivion…" Matt muttered before receiving a 'revenge whack' from Tai, sitting next to him.

Tk, in the corner near his mother, giggled at the scene they had made. "Well, aren't you two in a good mood." He commented to Matt and Tai.

"That's not fair." Tai muttered.

"Yeah. I couldn't go back to sleep after that dumb nightmare. It gave me the creeps." Matt added.

"Nightmare?" Sora asked him.

"Yes." He said before resuming his earlier position. After about a minute he realized that she was still staring at him, and he turned to her once more. "You don't really expect me to say something more than 'yes', do you?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"But what about your sleeping pills? I thought they gave you good dreams."

"I lost 'em. But whatever. I thought I told you that." He sighed, going back to his empty mindedness for a minute before Tai chimed in.

"Yeah, if you're talking about nightmares, I was up all night because of this guy." He whacked Matt on the back.

"I didn't make a sound, you dummy! I just didn't go to sleep. How is that my fault?"

"I had a dream about you. And something black… whatever. It was creepy. So creepy, that I gave up my sleep for it. We must have only slept for… what, two hours? Since we were here getting food this morning at like, Twelve o'clock. Or whatever."

"Well don't blame it on me…" Matt accused.

"Wow. 'Cuz I had a nightmare last night, too." Sora said. "Well, not nightmare-ish… more just creepy. My dream disappeared. I thought that I could really hear Kari talking to me. It was strange… and I couldn't go to sleep. I've been awake since forever." She looked at Kari who nodded in agreement.

"I had that same feeling when I woke up. Creepy." Kari shivered.

"I didn't want to go to sleep again this morning." Joe commented. "I don't know what it was about, but my dream must have been pretty bad to leave a 'get up at six o'clock 'cuz you aren't going back to bed' feeling." He shook his head and went back to his cereal.

"I had my dream, but I didn't want to go back to bed because after I woke up I read a book." Tk said.

The others looked at him. "Well, so much for making sense," Tai muttered and lay down again.

"Are you talking about nightmares?" Nancy walked up behind them. "Because if you are, I had one too."

"Me three…" an older male voice came from the dining room.

"Me four." Said Richard Ishida.

"I did too… how odd." Said another.

"Creepy how things work out like that," Terra put in.

"Why, did you also have a nightmare? Don't tell me you did, because that would be creepy to the point of insanity." Her daughter exclaimed.

"Uh… well, I kinda did…"

The rest of the digidestined groaned. Izzy laughed to himself. "I had a nightmare, too. It was horrendous, horrifying, catastrophic." He looked at his friends. "My computer broke, and everything was in total chaos. You were all running around with no plan or order whatsoever."

"But Izzy," Kari protested. "It was like that in the entire time I was with you in the digital world, remember?"

"But in my dream, my computer was broken." Izzy pointed out.

There was silence for a moment, then all the children burst out laughing. "What?" Izzy asked, blushing slightly. "You have your nightmares, and I'll have mine, thank you very much. Don't make fun of me… I'm sure someone had a dumber dream than I did…"

"How about Mimi?" Matt asked dully.

"Matt, that's mean." Tai noted.

Tk looked around. "Well, all aside, she isn't here… Where is she?" he asked.

Their questions were answered when Mimi popped through the door with yet another adult. "Hey guys!" she said, perky. "What's going on? I'm starving. Why are you all up so early? It's only like, six thirty, you know. Oh, I got up because I was still awfully hungry, even though just six hours ago I had food to eat… Oh well. Things happen, I suppose. Strange how it works though, isn't it? What are you eating, Joe? Oh, yuck. I don't think I want that… I'll have some of these…" she hopped over to the cupboards with a ridiculously cheerful smile on her face.

"Well, it's obvious **she** got a good night's sleep…" Izzy mumbled.

"Good night's sleep?" Matt scoffed. "She's more like 'Highly caffeinated human of the year', if you know what I mean…"

Joe sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Well, there's really no difference. So she had a better night's sleep…"

"You know, it was expected. The chances of us all having nightmares on the same night are… are…" Izzy tapped on his computer.

"Slim to none." Joe said.

"No, Joe, you have to be technical." Matt said. He mimicked a snobby scientist. "The possibilities of this particular phenomenon happening on this very night and slash or morning are very few, and if you look at our records, you may find that the exact probability of this occurring during this time span are…" he looked at his invisible chart. "Eighty two million, six hundred forty three thousand, nine hundred eleven to three. Now we advise…" Tai threw the tablecloth over his head.

"Wow, Matt. You sound just like a professor. Except your voice. It's a little to young. Or old. It depends if you were trying to imitate a genius or an experienced doctor or scientist…" Izzy commented, still tapping on his computer.

"Yeah, yeah." Matt muttered. "So what's the ratio, anyway?" he asked the short ten year old boy.

"Um…"

The others waited as the boy looked at Matt. "Uncanny…" he muttered to himself.

"What's uncanny?" Kari asked.

"Is that a question of 'what does uncanny mean', or is it 'what do you say is uncanny'?" Tai asked her.

"The second one. I know what Uncanny means, Tai. I've been with Izzy a bit too long, I think…"

The others looked up as Izzy stuttered, "W-well, uh…" he swallowed hard and looked back at his monitor. "It's…"

"Yes?"

"Eighty two million, six hundred forty three thousand, nine hundred eleven to _two_."

The others sat, stunned. Matt just leaned back, sighing. "I knew it had to be Eighty two million _something…_" he drifted off, putting his hands behind his head.

"Wow, Matt. How would you know that?" Izzy inquired.

"That was so cool!" Tk exclaimed.

"Yeah, really!" Tai commented.

"Well, you seem lucky this week. Or did you really know?"

"Don't ruin the moment, Joe." Sora advised.

"I'm just saying-" Joe insisted.

"Are you all going to eat?" Gennai interrupted.

The children who didn't have food placed in front of them looked at the refrigerator and their stomachs grumbled loudly. "Your fridge has no end, Gennai." Mimi said.

"Well, yes. It may seem that way… there's a ton of food in there. There's gelatin, pies, eggs, chicken, rice balls, plain rice, sake or beer for the adults, bacon, mashed potatoes, green beans, celery, ham, cheese, mangos, tomatoes, ground beef, pudding, chips and salsa, apples, oranges, gravy, biscuits, croissants, soup…" Gennai listed.

There was silence for a moment.

"Last one to the food eats leftovers!" Tai shouted suddenly, and the entire group pushed back their chairs and bolted for the refrigerator.

* * *

Tai and Matt stood at a balcony, overlooking the land. There was a slight breeze blowing, ruffling their hair and clothes. Tai was looking out to the grounds, leaning over the stone wall, while Matt was doing just the opposite: leaning against the wall on his back, his elbows propping up his slender body. He looked at the giant castle in front of him, gazing at the clouds. Tai inspected the ground's layout intently, looking at bugs and birds that passed by. 

'How odd…' he thought to himself. 'We don't see very many digimon out here… I wonder why?' he let his mind wander.

The sun was high up. Tai glanced at where Matt was looking and got an eyeful of the giant star. blinking, he looked at its position. It wasn't in the middle of the sky, which would have meant it was time to eat again, but it wasn't low near the horizon, either. 'maybe halfway…' he thought dully, uncaring. 'I wonder why Matt's just standing there… he seems awfully bored. Is he waiting for someone?' he wondered to himself.

Matt sighed and flipped over to look at the ground. Tai took this chance to look at him carefully. 'He looks ok. That dream must have been wrong. It was creepy, the way he looked. I hope that doesn't really happen… I think I'd have a heart attack.' He remembered back to this morning's dream, and the way Matt had collapsed in front of him. He shuddered.

Matt must have felt it, because he turned to look at Tai. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No… No, nothing, Matt. It's just a bit cold out here…" he lied.

"Oh. I didn't really think so…" Matt commented.

There was silence between the two. Tai stared at Matt for a while, his brain stuck in clockwork mode. He couldn't shake the feeling that his dream had given him earlier, and didn't know what to say to his friend. Matt turned to look at him.

"Why are you staring?" he asked, annoyed.

Tai shrugged.

"What?" Matt pressed.

"You don't think it's cold out here because you were from the ice age, Neanderthal brains and all." He snickered to his friend.

Matt scrunched up his nose and pouted, taking a swing at his friend's head, who dodged it, laughing. "Thanks a lot, Tai." He muttered, and turned back to watch the unmoving ground below.

Tai sat back on his heels, watching his friend. He had made a joke try and throw off the feeling he had, but it hadn't worked. He sighed and leaned forward onto the wall again. Glancing at Matt, he tried again.

"But you know…" He started. Matt looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I had the oddest dream last night about you…"

"Hey guys." Sora's voice startled Tai, making him jump nearly two feet into the air. "Ready to go, Matt?" she asked him.

"I suppose." Matt shrugged. "Unless what you were telling me was important…" he asked Tai, who was crouched down near the base of the wall, one hand supporting him and the other over his heart.

"Ok, heart, you may resume beating… oh, right. No, Matt, it wasn't really that important. Just making small talk, you know." He smiled and made a shooing motion. "Go away before my heart goes into cardiac arrest, please."

Sora looked at Tai and then to Matt, shrugging. "Whatever, Tai. You can be so weird at times…" she and Matt wandered back towards the building.

* * *

"Tai was really surprised, wasn't he?" Sora asked cheerfully. "I wonder if what he was going to tell you was really nothing…" she let her smile fall. "Um… so I guess I'll talk to my mom today. Preferably before lunch, you know?" she sighed. 

"Relax. If you get too worked up, you might loose your nerve, and then I'll have to actually _do_ something." Matt chuckled.

Sora put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Hmph. It's easy for you to say that. It's not like _you_ have to talk to your… uh…" she thought about it for a moment. "Never mind. I forgot that you do."

Matt shrugged. "It's ok, Sora. I know you're nervous."

"Yeah."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "But are you sure you really want me to stand there with you? Won't you have more of a feeling of success and accomplishment of yourself if you do it alone?"

"Are you trying to worm out of your promise, Matt?" she asked, suspicious.

He laughed and guided her to a bench placed along the wall. Tai was now out of sight, as was everyone else. "So, how are you going to tell her?" He asked.

"Well…" Sora mumbled. "I'm not sure. I didn't really have anything in mind, you know? I'm not sure she'd believe an 'I love you mom' and a hug, followed by a list of things she should let me do. That seems awfully dumb. I don't… I don't know how to tell her that I love her and that she doesn't need to worry about me so much without sounding… stupid."

Matt stared at the brick wall for a moment, then his face broke into a smile.

"Hey, Sora." He smirked. "I'vegot an idea…"

* * *

Izzy tailed Joe through the castle hallways. He stood behind him as he did the dishes, even helping him out, when he disappeared into his room and when he was talking to his dad. Finally Joe turned around and spoke to his little follower. "you know, I could just come and get you when I'm ready…" Joe said to him. 

"Yeah, but you might forget."

"Would I forget something like that?"

Izzy nodded, then thought for a second. At last he shook his head. "I guess not. But I'm still nervous. And you did promise to help me out, like I did for you." He said. "Besides, when are you going to be ready?"

"Well, now, I suppose. But you didn't need to follow me while I did all my stuff…" he muttered.

"Sorry."

"Well," Joe said again. "I'm not really good at this planning stuff, so I don't know how I'm gonna help you. Why don't you just say you need to talk to them, and then ask if you are adopted, and when they say yes… uh…" Joe stopped, thinking about it for a minute. "I don't know. But it's a start, right?" he looked into the ten year old's eyes.

"Yeah. I suppose."

"Well, go talk to them, then." Joe told him.

"But Joe!" Izzy protested. "I don't have a plan! Something could go wrong and I could say the wrong thing, and I don't know what to expect or how they might react, or… There's so many things that could go wrong!" he exclaimed. "How do you expect me to get through like that?"

"Wing it." Joe said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"But… But…"

"You're smart," Joe pointed out. "You'd be able to get through it, I know you will. You think fast, Izzy." He complimented his friend.

Izzy sighed, looking at the ground. "I just don't know how they'll take it. It was supposed to be a secret, that I was adopted. They would have told me, otherwise." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't want them to think badly of me."

"I'm sure they won't, Izzy!" Joe exclaimed, making Izzy look up into the older boy's face. "All parents love their children, and your parents seem like the type who would love their son even… even if he wasn't their son, if you know what I'm saying. If you give the people who love you a chance, you'd be surprised at how forgiving they can be."

Izzy thought about it for a minute. "I… never thought about it that way before…"

Joe grinned. "Now, is that settled? I'm sure it will come out ok with you at the wheel."

Izzy nodded.

"Now all that's left is when you're going to tell them."

"The next ice age." Izzy smirked.

"Izzy!"

* * *

Mimi walked along in the trees with her digimon, Palmon. She was looking at the ground, walking slowly. Palmon went from flower to flower, sticking her face in it and sniffing, followed by either a giggle or a soft noise of repulsion. Mimi watched her friend do this, giggling. 

Sighing, Mimi picked up one of the flowers that her digimon friend had sniffed, trying to see if it had really smelled as bad as Palmon's face indicated. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose, holding the flower away from her at arm's length.

"Wow, Palmon, you're right. This one REALLY stinks." She commented, then laughed.

"Yeah," Palmon answered. "I didn't know a flower could smell so bad!"

Mimi laughed and then quieted down, thinking. She was sure lucky to have a friend like Palmon. Even if she went back to the real world and couldn't come back to the digital world, she knew she would never forget her green friend. Or her adventures with her human friends, now that she thought about it.

She set the flower down on a rock and pulled her crest out of her shirt. The green crest glowed behind the glass on the tag that held it in place.

The crest was in the shape of a tear. A tear… for sincerity. How had she gotten sincerity? At the beginning, when she had heard it, the concept seemed completely dumb. Everyone had crests they claimed didn't describe themselves… Sora had love, but she thought that she didn't know how to express love because her mother didn't love her, Matt had friendship, and he didn't think he knew the meaning of the word, Tai had courage, but for a while, it seemed like the boy was making some scaredy-cat moves and he knew it.

She, of course, had sincerity, which was dumb, seeing as how her parents had bred her rich and snobby, uncaring for anyone but herself. She wouldn't have told as much to the others at first, but she still believed it. Joe had said, later… after she had gotten her crest… that she was acting like a spoiled brat. And he had been right, of course. She hated that.

Now, though, it seemed that it fit her best. She was sure there wasn't a crest for fashion or beauty… just what people expressed in their hearts. Hope, love, reliability… every last one of those came from her friend's heart.

"It's too bad it can't be beauty…" Mimi moaned to herself.

"What's too bad?" Palmon asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking…" Mimi smiled at her friend. "About my crest. That it would be cool if it was the crest of beauty. But I can live with sincerity, I suppose." She told the digimon.

"Well, you know, Mimi…" Palmon said. "Sincerity is just the beauty of the heart."

Mimi looked up, startled. "Well, I guess it is… isn't it? I'd never considered that." She grinned.

"You didn't?" Palmon asked.

"Not really," Mimi admitted.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think that you are the most beautiful person in the world, inside AND out."

"Aw, Palmon," Mimi said. "That's sweet."

"Well, now that that's settled, what do you want to do?" the plant digimon asked.

"Sit. I'm tired. Why did I walk all the way out here in the first place? My feet are sore. I need to sit down. Didn't I learn anything during our adventures in the digital world? Good grief. Let's find a rock."

"Oh Mimi…"


	9. Argument Arisen

Chapter nine (look, look! chapter nine! look!)

Hello! Just wanted to say hi before you got started. again. Do I always do this? whatever. I just wanted to say that this chapter may get a bit confusing for those who have watched the show. I missed just a couple, so I might be leaving something out… but I hope I'm not (leaving anything out). I think that you should know that I'm not gonna follow it by the book. I am going to pretend the families never made up back at home before they took off. So… um… what do I usually say here? I made this one longer… lots longer… how's that? Oh, and be sure to **_read_** and **_review_**. I wanna hear what's good and bad about this one! Probably something… right? Are you still here? Hello-ooo?

YES! It took me AN ENTIRE MONTH and a DAY but I got through it. trying not to make this a trend, people. (crosses fingers behind her back)

Enjoy!

_NOTE: I would like to point out that it takes 42 minutes to listen to a full leagal copyright infringement file, but only 4 words to say, 'I don't own digimon.'_

* * *

**Ch. 9: Argument Arisen**

_(Flashback)_

"_Well…" Sora mumbled. "I'm not sure. I didn't really have anything in mind, you know? I'm not sure she'd believe an 'I love you mom' and a hug, followed by a list of things she should let me do. That seems awfully dumb. I don't… I don't know how to tell her that I love her and that she doesn't need to worry about me so much without sounding… stupid."_

_Matt stared at the brick wall for a moment, then his face broke into a smile._

"_Hey, Sora." He smirked. "I've got an idea…"_

* * *

A bad idea. 

Sora watched as Matt sifted through his belongings, which had found their way across the many floorboards of his room, in search of something. He really hadn't done a whole lot of cleaning after the earthquake, and his window was still broken. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other.

_What's he up to?_ Sora peered at her blonde friend through slanted eyes. _He's just going to embarrass me. I know it. _She glared harder. _My intuition tells me so._

She watched him as he went through the heap on the floor and in the drawers. She couldn't help but let her thoughts stray to her dreams that very morning and the night before last. They had been about Matt. Matt Matt Matt Matt… and more Matt. She wondered if his dream self was more in-your-face than his real appearance. She remembered also Kari's words in her dream.

_After all, he said you would be the first to know. _

First to know what? She crossed her arms and pouted at an imaginary Kari in front of her. If you're not going to make sense, at least make sense of it please! She shook her head, thinking about what she had just thought. _Or not. I don't bother to, do I?_

She smirked just in time for Matt to turn around. He looked at her face and then to his shirt, checking to make sure that he didn't have a stain on it or something. When he had confirmed that there was nothing of an embarrassing quality on his tank top, he scowled at Sora. "Why are you smirking?" he asked, suspicious.

His voice knocked her out of her daydream-mode and back to reality. She realized that she was looking at Matt (instead of Kari) with an I-know-something-you-don't-know look. She shook her head again and smiled. "I'm sorry. I was thinking." She offered as an apology. "So… what did you need?" she tried to remember if he had said anything.

"Well…" he held up a large box he had pulled out of a wooden chest. It was big enough to hold a live animal. She gave him a disbelieving stare. '_He wouldn't…' _she thought to herself. Instead, Matt asked her, "Tell me which one of these your mom might like." And opened the box.

A dazzling sight met her eyes. She put her hands together and gasped at the beauty of what lay before her. In the box was a large assortment of beautiful gems, pendants, and chains. There was amber, gold, silver, bronze, ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, topaz, amethyst, garnet, and stones that she didn't know the names of all in different sizes, shapes, and in different fashions. She carefully leaned forward to pick up an emerald studded pin from the box, smoothing it out in her hands. "Oh my god, Matt…" she managed after a moment.

Matt looked surprised. "Ok, first I'm an incorrigible imbecile, and now I'm a god. Weird. Are you going through some kind of phase?" he asked in a joking manner.

She made a swing at his head, which he ducked just like always. "Matt! No. Where did you get this?" she motioned to the box on the floor. Matt looked up at the ceiling and then down to the box, and then picked it up and moved it to his Mattress, setting it down carefully.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're asking." He answered, massaging his jean-covered leg. "I made it. I know someone whose wife was a professional jeweler, and she taught me to make these. And I paid for my own things. They're a lot cheaper than in the stores, if you buy them raw." He commented. "It was fun." And with that, he sat down heavily on the bed, which was still placed on the floor.

She sat in disbelief as he pulled out one of the simpler pieces from the box. "See this?" he asked, showing it to her. "This was the first piece I made. It's just glass. You can tell I wasn't very good… there's a defect in the glass hole right there, where the chain goes through." He pointed to the side of the bed, motioning her to come sit with him.

She found herself sitting by him after a bit, and going through the jewels with one hand. Finally she turned to him and said, "I don't think I could just take one of these!" she hung her head down and looked at the box with sadness. "And I couldn't afford one by myself. Nu-uh."

He looked straight into her eyes. "Of course you can take it. It's a gift. We're friends, remember?" he asked. "Besides, she gave me a pretty good discount for the stuff, so I wouldn't charge too much. Say… how about I charge…" he rubbed his chin with mockery filling his every move. "Three pennies and a paper clip?" she took him unexpectedly with a pillow from behind.

"Matt!"

"Good grief, I can't even do one good act for a friend without being pummeled." He snickered, rubbing his legs. "Come on, Sora. I'm letting you do this." He leaned in. "And if you want, you can take one for yourself after you choose one for your mom. You can have identical necklaces!" he exclaimed, holding up a pair of necklaces that both had 'boys make good punching bags' on them. She swung at him again.

"Well, if you insist…" she threw his sheets over his head and looked at the box before her.

Fifteen minutes later, she gave up. "I swear, I picked up that piece twice already!" she complained to Matt.

"What's the Matter?" he asked.

"I can't figure out anything that Mom would like. I mean, I don't know which ones I've seen and which ones I haven't…" she poked through the sea of glittering jewels. "But I know that I haven't seen them all. I just can't keep them straight!" she lay back in the bed, stretching her arms out while Matt thought.

"Hm…" he muttered to himself. "Well, I suppose that I could always…" he reached for a side of the box.

"What're you doing?" she inquired, looking at where he was poking the wood. She saw a dot of metal embedded into the wood and pointed. "What's that?"

He pulled it out and pushed the bottom part of the box in the front. To her surprise, it slid open to reveal a secret compartment. Inside was a notebook and something else she didn't have the chance to see before he shut it again.

"I usually draw what the piece is going to look like before I do it… because I don't want to screw it up." He explained to her, cracking open the book.

Inside was a well drawn sketch of a ruby laced in an outline of metal that resembled a sun. He pointed to it, showing her how to tell what kind of metal was used or what stone it was, and what it was used for. "It is kind of hard to tell a ruby from a garnet in a sketchbook without color…" he smirked.

"Ok… so I just go through these?" she turned the page to reveal a stone carved in the shape of a heart, which was used as a necklace pendant. She shook her head and turned the page to reveal a sketch of another ruby, with silver and gold framing it to make it look like a diamond shape.

"This is the ruby section, with some others. If there's a stone your mom likes particularly, you can go to that section, or you can just go through them one at a time." He explained, as she turned the page again. He was silent, then looked at the ceiling. "I was thinking you could give it to her, and the way it was jewelry would perhaps make her realize that you're older now. It would also keep you on a good note with her…" he sighed and looked back down at the page again.

She looked up from a ruby star-of-David and thought about it. Finally she nodded. "I suppose that would work…" she thought aloud.

"So you want to explain to her that you're older now and she doesn't need to worry as much? That you need your space and even though you know she has good intentions, you want her to see your point of view?" Matt asked, rubbing his knee.

"Yes!" Sora exclaimed. "Exactly!"

Matt smiled… a genuine smile. He didn't need words to say that he was happy. Sora smiled back at him. She looked at the booklet that sat in her lap and turned to the diamonds section. "Mom likes diamonds…" she said, still smiling.

There was a silence between them, but it was a comfortable silence. Sora turned pages, and Matt pulled out some of the jewels he had made over the years from the wooden box. Sora finally turned to Matt and pointed to one that she would like and he searched around in the sea of glittering stones for it while Sora had turned to the sapphire section… right at the end of the book.

He finally found it for her, and she picked out a chain for it. (It was a necklace) she let Matt thread it through the links while she smiled and talked to him. "Are you sure that it's ok if I have one? I mean, I probably won't take any, but can I look at them?"

"Sure, Sora, it's fine." Matt clamped the ends of a link together around the diamond ornament. "I said it was earlier, didn't I?" he handed it to her. She stuffed it into her pocket carefully and looked at the pictures, admiring the sapphire pieces he had drawn until she came to one.

It was the one she had found after the earthquake. It had to be the most intricate one in the entire book. The lace was exactly as it was on the necklace, and he had even added shine. She stared at the picture for a very long moment, then said to herself, "this one…"

She turned to see Matt was beet red. "I… uh… I don't have that one yet…" he confessed. "Actually,** yet** isn't the right word… I… um…" he searched for the words and didn't find any.

Sora shrugged. "It's Ok, I understand." She said to him. "It is beautiful, but I just thought I'd seen it somewhere before…" she traced the outline with her finger.

"Actually, Sora?" Matt asked, and turned a deeper red. "I… um…"

"Yes?" she asked, gently touching the necklace hidden under her shirt.

There was silence for a moment and then Matt shook his head. "N-never mind. It's nothing. Nothing at all!" his face looked like salsa.

She smiled at him and turned the page. There was instead of a jewel, a portrait of her.

Matt blushed a deeper red and snatched the sketchbook from her hands. "That… uh…" he stammered, turning the page to reveal another picture of her. He turned again to find the same result. He turned the pages faster and faster, but even though they were a blur she could still see parts of the pictures as they flashed by. Finally he turned to the last page and closed the book. His face was a deep, deep crimson color.

Sora smirked, and couldn't help herself. She threw herself back onto his Mattress and laughed the day away.

* * *

Joe contemplated his next move. 

It was in the living room. There were a lot of comfy chairs and sofas around, although he and Izzy did not occupy them. He instead was sitting on a hard wooden chair across from Izzy, staring at the giant checkered board that lay between them. At the moment, he was busy trying to figure out whether to use his rook or pawn. He sweated hard, his eyes darting from one of Izzy's pieces to the other. He reached out with a shaky hand and let it levitate over his rook, then he snatched it back and looked at the board, as if somehow it had changed since the last time he'd done that.

_Rook? Pawn. Rook? Pawn. No… if I move the bishop, then he could take it with his knight. No, no… I think… I should move my queen… no! Uh… I'll use my pawn. BAD IDEA!_

These thoughts ran through Joe's head as he contemplated his options.

Izzy, however, wasn't having such a bad time as his friend. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes on the window. He had agreed not to use his computer for the game, so it was a rare moment when you saw Izzy with no laptop. While Joe was bent over the game board, he chatted with the adults and the occasional digimon that passed by. His sipped his coke with lowered eyes as Joe did his reach-and-snatch-back ritual at least fifteen times. Right now he was in a conversation with David Takenouchi, discussing his job. David was telling him the problems he had at work because of his computer, and Izzy offered advice while Joe made a decision and then took it back over and over again.

Joe looked at his friend suspiciously. Sure, he wouldn't cheat, but he didn't have to! He must have been the smartest ten year old alive! Right now he could be contemplating his moves while Joe made a decision. The twelve year old boy imagined Izzy watching him, thinking to himself. _If he makes that move, I'll take his queen. _Joe's imaginary Izzy said inside his head. _And if he moves his pawn forward a space, he'll clear me a path to his knight. Or maybe he won't do it… then I could checkmate him. He won't know what hit him. Ehhehe… _the imaginary Izzy laughed an evil laugh.

Joe shook his head clear, and the picture of Izzy talking to Sora's dad came back into focus. _But I know he's thinking it,_ Joe thought. _I know he's just ridiculing my moves behind those eyes. He will not get the best of me! _Joe pumped his fist into the air and went back to deciding, the only difference being the ten year old and the adult that had been talking were now staring at him as if he had grown a third arm.

Joe's eyes darted back and forth, making quick calculations. Sweat gleamed on his forehead as he noticed all the ways that Izzy had him trapped. _Oh no… he'll win no Matter what I do!_ Joe thought frantically. _There's no escaping it, he's gonna win! No! I'll loose! I **can't** loose! I've got twenty five cents riding on the outcome of this game! And I only have a dollar! Well, not really. I have a quarter right here. But still, NO!_ He threw his fists into the air, waving them hysterically now, eyes wide like a madman. "Gah! No, not here… not here either! I can't! I can't! He'll take my rook!" he said, clutching his face. "He'll take my bishop. He'll take my king! It's not fair! Not fair!" and he grabbed his bishop and strangled it menacingly before putting it down three spaces from where it had been. Mimi, passing by, stopped to examine the board as Joe pointed menacingly at Izzy with his index finger. His eyes wide, he looked like he was going to kill something.

"There!" Joe cried, his voice cracking. "Beat that, shrimp!" Joe was practically out of his seat, arms out for support on the sides of the table. He leaned in, looking at the board with one eye twitching. His hair was a mess, strands sticking out on all sides. The glasses he wore were teetering on the edge of his nose, threatening to fall. His vest was slightly askew, and his pants crumpled. He was also breathing heavily.

"Well…" Izzy leaned forward, thinking. Then after a moment, he reached forward with his queen and took Joe's. "Um… check?"

There was a slight silence in the room, and then Joe's eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling. The older boy slid to the floor, groaning. Once on the floor, he hit his head repeatedly on one of the legs of the table.

Mimi, who had watched this whole scene, was still looking at the board. She reached forward, and took up Joe's knight and with one swift motion, took Izzy's recently moved queen.

Joe popped his eyes over the table edge to see what had happened. Izzy leaned forward, inspecting the move. "Very good, Mimi! That was an excellent move! Frankly, the way Joe was acting, I didn't think that he'd see it. Oh well." He sighed and pondered his next move. Mimi straightened in her spot and beamed.

Joe just looked at the board and sighed, putting his quarter on the countertop.

* * *

Sora kicked the wall in front of her dully. Just around the corner, her mom talked cheerfully with one of the other adults. She had no idea that her daughter stood just fifty feet from her, eyes locked on her mother's feet. 

Sora waited patiently for Matt to arrive. He had gone to grab something, and to change. For what reason, she didn't know… but she didn't care. The longer he took the better. She glared at her mother's high heeled shoes, unable to look her in the face. She even twiddled her thumbs. Finally she sighed and let her thoughts turn to the past.

_(Flashback)_

_It was in the living room. Her mother had decided to invite friends over to have coffee and cake. It was about four thirty… Sora would normally have been at tennis practice. Unfortunately, it had begun raining at an estimated time of three fifty eight and twenty one seconds. They had played in the light drizzle before they had heard thunder off in the distance: the signal for the coach to end practice early. Sora found it ironic that the teacher would end practice to get them out of the rain and then make them walk home to make themselves soaking wet. 'Now if it was soccer, they'd let us play!' Sora thought remorsefully. She stepped inside the front door. 'But that's ok, I suppose. I have to go over to Tai's house and get prepared for that project. It's due tomorrow. Oh, why am I such a procrastinator?' she thought gloomily, and dropped a hello to her mother before heading upstairs to change into some drier clothes._

'_Not that it will Matter anyways…' Sora thought to herself. 'I'm going to get wet walking over to Tai's. I hope his mom made cookies! Oh, I love Mrs. Kamiya's cookies!' she walked downstairs and grabbed her book bag. "Bye mom!" she exclaimed, then started for the door._

"_Wait just a minute, Sora. Where are you going?" her mom's friends stopped talking and watched the scene before them unfold. _

"_To Tai's." she answered._

"_Oh no you don't. It's practically a typhoon out there! You'll catch a cold!" she said._

"_But mom!" Sora protested. "I have to-"_

"_No buts, missy. If you go out there, you might catch a cold or get struck by lightning, or even get hit by a car that couldn't see you through the rain! It's too dangerous to go out there, sweetie!" _

"_Mom, it's for an assignment. I have to go there to work on it! Let me go!" _

"_Well, at least let me drive you." She set down her cup and pushed herself off of the sofa. "Just let me get my keys and I'll…"_

"_WILL YOU STOP BEING SO GOD DAMN OVER PROTECTIVE?" Sora demanded. She clenched her fists. The girl that had been perfectly happy a moment ago was now boiling in rage. "You don't trust me. You never let me do anything! I can do this for myself! And I will! But you know what? You are always 'do this, do that, don't do such and such.' Well, I'm tired of it. I hate it when you boss me around like that! In fact, I hate you!" she stomped over to the door and slammed it, shaking the house's foundation, and leaving Terra and her mom's friends sitting on the couch, her mother with a mournful look on her face. _

_(End flashback)_

Sora cringed at the memory. She knew that she would barely be able to meet her mother's eyes, let alone talk to her as if nothing had happened. After that day she had gotten to Tai's front door and thought about her actions, which made her feel ashamed. She shouldn't have overreacted like that. She had just been so tired of the way her mother had treated her! It was no surprise that she had burst out like that without thinking about it first. Still… now it was something that haunted her.

She had embarrassed her mother in front of her friends. And to top it off, she had been perfectly reasonable! Offering to drive her, worrying about her safety… that's what mothers did, and she had no right to chew her out for it. Sure, she didn't like how she was so bossy, or how she was always telling her what to do, or worrying when there was nothing to be worried about… but it was just part of her mother's nature.

Now she was going to see if she could change that… if she could get her mother to cut her some slack.

The only thing to do now was to get some guts to do it with.

What would she tell her? How would she react? Would she take it with grace or hate her? Would she understand? Could she forgive Sora for the way she had acted? Why was Matt taking so long? The questions reeled in her head nonstop, making her even more nervous. If only one of those questions could be answered…

Matt popped around the corner, still struggling to pull on a shoe and tie it while he ran. He looked pretty funny doing it, too. If Sora hadn't been in such a gloomy mood, she might've laughed. He finally reached her and gave her a look of relief. "I… got caught up in… the hallway…" he puffed, leaning his hands on his knees for support. After a moment he added, "I wonder what Joe was so freaked out about anyway…" he stood straighter.

"So what took you so long?" Sora asked.

"I ran into Joe. It looked like he was trying to walk on his hands… or maybe he was just being weird. Anyway… Izzy and Mimi were looking at him like he'd turned into a psycho maniac, which he had, and there was a huge bunch of people all standing in the middle of the hallway. I got around them and then realized that I had left what I was going to get back in my room and had to do the whole thing over again. Man, you should've seen Joe! He was all jumping around and his glasses were on upside down…"

"Was it really that bad?" Sora asked excitedly.

"No. it was worse. So…" Matt said, changing the subject. "When're you going to tell her… now? You should."

Sora sighed and looked at her feet. "But I don't wanna."

Matt looked at her with sympathetic eyes and then clapped her on the back. "Come on." He encouraged her. "Come with me. I'll be there for you if you need help." He led her out to the hallway where her mother was standing.

It didn't take long for the adults to notice the children standing behind Terra. They smiled. "You've got a visitor," one of them informed her, and they left.

Terra turned around, surprised. "Oh, hello Sora! How are you today?" she asked cheerfully.

Sora was silent for a moment before Matt gave her a nudge from behind. "O-oh, um… fine mom. I wanted to… uh… talk to you?" she struggled, her eyes still locked on her mother's heels.

Mrs. Takenouchi looked at her daughter with mild surprise. "Um… alright, what is it you wanted to talk about, sweetie?" she asked, listening closely.

"Mom… first I wanted to apologize for telling you that… I … hate you…"

Her mother smiled. Sora, however, was looking at the floor and didn't see it. Instead, she went on talking. "I know that I shouldn't have said it… I don't mean it, never! You have to know I love you mom… it's just that sometimes you make me feel like a baby. Like I'm helpless or something… it's just so annoying at times. And whenever that happens, I end up yelling at you." Sora stopped and closed her eyes, sighing for a minute.

"When you tell me that I can't do something I just jump to conclusions and think that you are being unfair… but now, since I went to the digital world, I know that's not the case. I know that you're just trying to keep me from being hurt and that you really do love me… I'm sorry." She looked gloomier than ever as she apologized. She looked like she was about to cry.

Sora's mother caught her up in a hug. Sora seemed really shocked because she hadn't been looking at her mother. Behind them Matt smiled to himself. Sora's mom held her in the hug for a while, then spoke to her.

"Oh, dear, you don't know how glad I am to hear that you don't hate me!" she cried aloud. This answer seemed different than the one that Sora had expected to receive. She sat, stunned, in her mother's arms while her mother held her.

Finally Terra straightened and wiped her eyes. She sniffed and looked at her daughter. "As happy I am that you are coming to apologize to me and tell me that you don't hate me, I can't help but think you've got something else to say." She smiled and set herself up to listen.

Sora was confused for a moment before Matt leaned in and whispered "what don't you want her to do?"

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed, whacking her fist on her open palm. "That's what it was! Right!"

Terra giggled. "He's like your conscience. Or something…" Matt blushed deeply.

Sora nodded. "Well, mom? The other thing was… well, you remember that one time you wouldn't let me play soccer because I hurt my knee?" it was her mother's turn to nod. "Well, the whole team was counting on me to be there and I felt really bad for letting them down." Terra was listening sadly.

"And that one time when I wanted to go climb a tree at the park with one of my friends and you wouldn't let me? No offence, but I really didn't think that a tree you could reach the top of when you stretched your arm out was a very dangerous tree at all. And when I had to go out over to Tai's to finish some homework I didn't think it would have been that bad if I had caught a cold or something. Do you se what I'm saying?"

"I'm saying…" Sora said after a moment and looked into her mother's eyes. "I… I know that you don't want me to be hurt and all, but I was wondering if you could sometimes… I don't know… let me take a risk or two? Because sometimes it's really not that much of a risk. I'm a big girl now, mom!"

Sora held out her hands right on cue. In her palms was the beautiful necklace that she had 'bought' from the boy standing behind her, offering silent encouragement. "I want you to have this. To remind you… that I've grown up. I'm a big girl, and you don't have to worry so much." She watched as her mother picked up the jewelry and admired it.

Finally Terra Takenouchi leaned forward and hugged her child. "Oh, of course sweetie. I know I can be overprotective sometimes. It just seemed like the best thing to do… I'll try to not do that anymore if you'll promise _me_ one thing."

"What's that mom?" Sora asked.

"That no Matter how big you'll become you'll always be my little girl." All Sora could do to answer that was smile and nod.

* * *

Sora and Matt made their way down to the room where dinner was being served. Sora was talking to Matt enthusiastically about how she felt. She had just gotten back from talking to her mother and had just changed. Matt had met her outside her room and since then Sora had been going on and on of how well the talk with her mother had worked out. 

"I just feel so much better after that!" Sora exclaimed, jumping up and down in her spot, walking slowly alongside Matt. "Like a great weight has been lifted and I don't have to deal with it anymore! Isn't that exciting?"

"See, I told you it wouldn't be so hard." Matt scoffed, then put an arm around her shoulders. "You know, if we don't hurry, they'll start without us." He smirked as Sora gasped.

"Oh no!" Sora shook her head in worry. "I can't miss dinner, I can't!" she raced to the end of the hallway.

Matt looked at her with humor in his eyes. '_She's just so emotional after that…' _he mused to himself. _'I wonder… I wonder if that's how I'LL be when I'm done talking to my parents…'_ he watched as Sora slammed open a door and then closed it immediately, and the action was followed by several clinking and banging thuds of something- or several somethings- hitting the door.

Sora just looked at him and grimaced.

'_I hope not…' _Matt rolled his eyes and pointed down the right door, which Sora hopped through gleefully.

Sora bounded downstairs. She promptly sat next to Tai and Matt walked coolly to the free spot beside her. Tai was arm-wrestling with Tk… and loosing. Sora watched as the two struggled to get the other's hand to touch the table, Matt just couldn't bear to watch. Instead, he turned his head away, watching the beet red Joe talking to Izzy. He smirked, remembering the events he had witnessed earlier that day. Joe was certainly getting some odd looks from the digimon and parents. The kids even were curious at how Joe had acted. However, they at least spared him the bug-eye look he was getting from gomamon.

Raymond walked over, sitting himself next to his son. "Um… Joe? I just heard the most interesting thing… about you… It's not true, is it?"

"NONONONONONONO!" Joe blushed furiously, shaking his head so hard that his glasses nearly went into his cup. He grabbed onto the back of his father's shoulders, like he was about to give him a back rub. Raymond just leaned forward because of the weight on his back. "Don't you dare talk about that right now dad!" Joe blushed even deeper.

Izzy smiled in delight, remembering his victory over Joe and the reaction that had followed. He wasn't surprised if everyone knew about it by now. He glanced off to the other side of the table, thoughtful. "Although… I really should go easy on him. It's not like he lost his mind on purpose…" his eyes found his mother talking with Matt's father and Tai's mother on the far side of the table. He leaned forward to get a better view. "Now, what's that about?" he asked himself, his mind filled with confusion. "Are they friends? I didn't know that…" he sighed. "Not good, not good. How am I supposed to have the crest of knowledge if I ignore everything? Oh well."

Rachel and Richard were indeed talking to each other. It was just about simple things… Work, the weather, a funny experience or two… It was all normal. The talk did end, however, when Nancy tapped on her ex's shoulder.

"Um… can I talk to you later?" Nancy choked out. "I want to talk to you later."

Mr. Ishida frowned slightly but nodded. "About what?"

"Nothing." Nancy lied. "Just something."

Her husband sighed. "Geez. And you're the English major. Whatever. I'll see you after dinner, I suppose."

Nancy nodded, and turned to Rachel. "Oh, by the way, your husband needed to talk to you as well. He's right over there…" she pointed to the corner.

Rachel Izumi nodded, pushing back her chair and standing up. "Thank you, Nancy."

Nancy started to turn away but Richard "Are you sure it's 'Nothing, just something' that you wanted to talk about? Can't you be more specific?" Nancy blushed and started to turn away.

"Oh, it's just… our son."

"Tk? Why would you want to talk to me about Tk?"

"I meant Matt."

"Oh." Richard's voice dropped a notch, and he swallowed hard. "Matt. Of course. He's right over there…"

"I said I need to talk to YOU about him."

There was a silence for a moment, and then Yuko, forgotten beside Richard, spoke up. "Speaking of ourcharges, has anyone seen my little Kari?"

* * *

Kari stood in front of Mimi, who was busy twirling in front of her mirror. "Isn't it beautiful, Kari? Oh, you have one of the best eyes for picking out beauty. Sora certainly never would help me with this. Hey, do you like this one?" Mimi smiled, reaching into her closet. 

"Shouldn't we get going to dinner, Mimi? I'm starving."

"So am I, but we need to dress for the occasion! Oh, my. This is wonderful. Do you like it?" she held up a blue dress that seemed like it would be _just_ a little low in the front.

"Um… if you were older?" the younger girl took a shot at it.

"You're right. How about this one?" she held up a lavender one just like it.

"You don't understand, I think."

Mimi looked at the dress, and then to the one she had just discarded. She was silent for a moment before answering. "You're right… I really don't."

"Well, why don't you go with the gold skirt and… the… red shirt… with the… gold and yellow hat? Or… the gold shirt with the red skirt… and red earrings?" she asked her.

Mimi squealed. "Oh, I do love that! Thanks, Kari!" she put in the ruby colored earrings and pulled on the gold shirt. Finally she was done. "Of course… I don't have shoes…"

"Just wear the white ones. White goes with everything." Kari provided.

"Sure, why not?" she slipped into them. "Now, do you wanna go? I'm hungry. Is my hair ok? Do you want to sit by me? Or maybe not…" she wandered towards her door, lost in a semi- conscious thought.

"_Finally…"_ Kari groaned. Her stomach growled with her. Mimi took her hand and led her down the hallway. It wasn't long before they reached the dinning room. The first thing that caught young Kari's eyes, of course, was the picture of the struggling Tk and her brother… trying to overpower each other in some silly game.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Kari mumbled as she passed them to sit by Tk.

"Pla… ying… oof… ar… m… wrestle… ing…" Tai stuttered, trying to push the younger boy's hand down to the table and failing.

"Geez, Tai, that's sad." Matt commented from the other side of Sora. He was watching the game with playful eyes. "You can't beat my little brother. How very…" he cringed."not age- appropriate…"

"Shut up, Matt. It's not as easy as it looks. He's got me at a weird… an… gle…" he struggled with his sentences as Tk pushed the back of his palm to the table. "Oh… no…" Tai was able to get out before there was a gentle 'THUNK' as the back of the older digidestined's hand hit the table and Tk jumped up in victory, disappearing from eyesight for a moment.

Sora giggled. It wasn't Tk's fault that he was shorter than the table edge… or the table cloth. She watched as the blonde youth crawled up onto the seat beside her childhood friend, who seemed to be busy telling Matt how hard it was to push something over when he only had four inches between him and the table and it wasn't his fault that Tk's arms were so short and that he'd show him how bad it was if Matt would just come over and sit where he was to challenge Tk. Matt declined. "Sorry, Tai. I'll have to take your word for it. It's not like I believe you anyway…" Matt's little comment sent Tai into a fit of rage, while the blonde boy just smirked, and leaned back to watch the show.

Sora's stomach growled. She rubbed it, moaning. Where was the food? She was _so_ hungry. Being hyper had really worn her out. She was dying of starvation over here. Where was Gennai? Why weren't they eating?

Gennai popped through and asked some of the adults to help with the food so that the old digimon wouldn't break his own back. The parents rushed to the kitchen, knowing the faster the food got on the table, the faster they'd eat. Sora sighed and glared at the high ceiling. "This might take a while…" she muttered to no one in particular.

She watched the ceiling intently, her thoughts cramming into her brain and out again. A picture of her mom. Sora smiled. Yes, she was done with her worries. She hoped. Sure, they had some catching up to do… and her mother had to learn new habits… but she was positive that everything would be alright. A picture of breakfast. STOP that! Food will be here soon. She giggled. However, everyone acting grumpy was such a sight to see. Tai and Matt had to be the funniest. Matt answering Joe and Tai getting all upset over it, whacking his companion on the head or… throwing a tablecloth over him. Embarrassing.

Suddenly she remembered in Matt's room, with the jewelry and the notebook. She blushed slightly.

Matt had all those pictures drawn of her… he was pretty good at drawing. All the pictures were beautiful and without flaw. Perfect pictures of her twirling in exotic dresses or petting the head of a goldfinch that sat on her finger. When had he found the time to draw those…

And **why** did he?

There was no way he had done all that in the digital world, they hadn't had anything with them at the time. Sure, he might have done it when they'd gotten back… but that would mean that he'd been... noticing her since then.

She blushed, her dream coming back to her. It resounded in her ears like she was hearing it for the first time. In a way, she was.

'_After all… he said you would be the first to know.' _

'_I said think again. He likes you.'_

'_He just seems wrong lately.'_

Sora snapped out of her dream state. Even in her head that had startled her. There was nothing wrong with Matt! _Nothing._ She was… sure…

She resisted the urge to look at him. Trusting him to do the right thing and tell her if something was the matter was hard… but needed. If she didn't trust him, he wouldn't trust her. Instead she shrugged it off and tried to think of other things.

Did Matt like her? Ah, crud. She couldn't shake it. She really liked Matt. It was pretty impossible to ignore the feeling she got from the boy sitting next to her. She decided to think of other things… they would just have to involve Matt. Lessee… would Matt ask _her_ help for talking to his parents? What did she think that he would do, or what problem did he have with them? Which one was he going to _talk_ to?

She heard a clinking sound in front of her, and she let her eyeballs fall to the table while staying in the same position. Her eyes fell on a huge, steaming salmon that sat in front of her plate that had its meat cooked to a light golden brown. It was covered in capers and lemon wedges, and waded in an inch of boiling juice. She sat there, taking it all in, the item not registering into her brain until the scent reached her nose. Suddenly she perked up in realization.

"FOOD!" Sora lunged for the fish in front of her, and people around her laughed.

"Wow, Sora, you were a lot quicker than I thought you'd be." Tai nudged her from his seat. "You with your head up in the clouds, not noticing the food all at the table and ready to be eaten… Matt was saying that we should just wait to see how long it would take before you realized we were eating."

"Oh really Tai?" Matt said. "I recall it being the other way around. Isn't that what _you _said we should do?" he waved a hand at the food and, as though that was the signal, others began to eat the things set in front of them.

Sora stuffed her plate with fish, but it was half gone by the time the second dish reached her. She took it with a nod and piled it onto the freshly created spot, then swallowed the mouthful she had been chewing on. "So… uh… how long was I sitting there?" she asked, embarrassed.

"About four minutes."

"And I was _faster_ than you'd thought I'd be?"

"Well," Tai slurped up some noodles. "I was betting on seven minutes. Tk had dibs on five. I guess he won. Izzy thought it would only take two. Guess he was wrong."

"Wait, you had the entire table…" she shot an angry look at the other people sitting there. Biyomon laughed from the far end of the table, and David Takenouchi hid a smile in his hands. "Great." Sora muttered.

The digidestined and company ate for a bit, chattering when their mouths weren't full, or some if their mouths WERE. This, however, got many scorns from the mothers, although it was mostly the fathers who were doing it. The children mainly just put their heads down and talked to their dinner partner. There was a quiet talk that somehow had made it completely around the table, and some talks that didn't make it beyond one person. Sora smiled as she heard Tai's mother scolding him from across the table about not keeping an eye on his sister. '_Gosh, I guess it's not all great to have a sibling. It sounds like you get in trouble a lot…' _Sora thought to herself.

Suddenly there was an odd noise. The table fell silent for a while, each individual trying to figure out what it was they were hearing.

Riiiinnnnngggg! The sound came at them again.

It was a telephone.

"Gee, Gennai." Mimi said after a minute, as the digimon got up and walked around the table. "There's a phone here? Where? I didn't see it."

The old digimon nodded to a small table… one that you would put at your bedside. Only waist high, it was covered in papers. Gennai gingerly lifted off a layer to reveal a phone, which rang for a third time. He nodded back at the table, picking it up. "Excuse me." He said, then talked into the cordless phone.

The humans just looked at the old, cocky, forgetful digimon holding a phone in his hands. For some, like Matt, Tai, Tk and David, the shock wore off quickly. Others slid into eating their dinners, still nervous.

"Don't worry Sora!" Matt said. "He's probably just… talking with another digimon or something. Like a communicator or a walkie-talkie." He slurped up some noodles.

Sora looked uneasily at her plate. "Yeah, you're probably right. But it's still strange." Sora grabbed a cracker and broke it in two, stuffing one end into her mouth.

Gennai looked up from talking on the phone. He glanced at the table.

"Matt, it's for you."

* * *

Matt nearly choked on his noodles. He finally got most of it swallowed or out of his mouth, and managed, "Who… the heck would be…" his sarcastic comment was followed by a thoughtful face. 

"Someone who goes by Allen."

Now it was Sora's turn to choke. Fortunately for her, Matt didn't notice. His eyes had lit up at that point and he had trotted off to the phone with a smile on his face.

He took the phone with a polite nod to Gennai. "Hey, what's up?" Matt asked into the phone. "What the hell? Where did you get Gennai's phone number? You are calling from the real world, right?"

Sora was slurping her soup, listening intently to the conversation. Matt was turned halfway away from the group, so some of the things he said didn't come out more than "mumble mumblemumble a mumble no blah blah blah mumble mumble blah." But she could see his face. Meanwhile, her brain was reeling.

Allen? Where had she heard that before? Right before the earthquake… in her dream. That was a weird dream. It was connecting to **everything.** The earthquake, the ruined village, the necklace, and now this. There was no way she could miss what he said. Whatever this Allen had to say was important. Or… it would be, further on.

She caught another sight of him. Matt was talking carefreely on the phone to Allen, smiling and, by the look in his eye, making some rude or sarcastic comments. Matt loved to do that. He did it with Tai all the time. He would set off a nerve and then apologize after everyone else in the front row had popped eardrums after the tirade had been given by the victim of Matt's insult. It seemed he did that with all his close friends. Why hadn't he ever done it to her? Had he?

She shook it off and gazed at Matt once more. She could hear some of the conversation now.

"What? Oh of course I did that. Do you think- … hey! I do not! Oh but… mumblemumble cheated me out of four bucks. Mumble mumble but… why did mumble call anyway?" there was a part where she couldn't hear, then… "-Reason?"

Matt listened for a moment, then his face turned pale and he looked as if he would choke again, had he been eating. He let his arm fall to the side as he gazed at something she couldn't see. There was some noise from the receiver and he brought it back to his ear slowly. Sora leaned in, not noticing that Tai, beside her, did so as well.

"No… no no! I'm not going to let this ruin my day. This… is… this is good news." Matt breathed hard for a moment, closing his eyes and hid his face with his spare hand. After a minute, Matt perked up. "S-so… when do I have to…" he asked a silent question. There was a brief break. "What? Just give it to me. I won't be upset, I think…" "Two?" Matt said abruptly.

"Two what?" Sora mumbled to herself.

"Two what?" Matt asked Allen. "Two… years? No?" Matt paused, listening.

Suddenly he exploded. "TWO _WEEKS?_ WHAT THE HELL DO YOU **MEAN** TWO WEE— ah…" catching his breath, he glanced around, back at the table, where everyone had turned from their dinners to stare open-mouthed at him. He smiled weakly. "Sorry about that. Excuse me?" he walked off, whispering angrily into the receiver. "_What the hell do you mean **two weeks?** That's not enough time… not nearly enough…" _he stepped through the swinging doorway into the kitchen and was gone.

There was silence.

Sora settled slowly back into her chair. Tai straitened. "What was that about? Matt was really upset…" he muttered to himself.

Sora pretended not to hear. "Two weeks?" a chill went through her body as she remembered. "Oh god, it's just like my dream. Two weeks…" she wanted to cry, but this wasn't really the place. She would really have to talk to Matt about this one… it really unnerved her. She shook it off.

"Matt, who's Allen?" she asked no one in particular. "I didn't know you had any other close friends… besides us… which really makes me sad, but…" she lowered her eyes, eating absent mindedly. What was wrong here?

There was quiet. The conversations earlier had gone, leaving nervousness and uncomfortable moods in its wake. No one really was interested in eating. Everyone just waited to see what had made the blonde boy so distressed. Their wait was over when Matt pushed through the swing door of the kitchen and hung up the phone, and waved to Gennai. "Hey, Gennai, can I talk to you after this meal? Thanks." He said, after the digimon inclined his head.

"So what was that about? Some kind of project?" Tai beat Sora to the question.

"Oh… I guess you could call it that." Matt took up his fork and wound up some noodles on it once more. "He was just being stupid, that's all. So stupid…" he rolled his eyes. "Kind of like you sometimes, Tai."

The brown haired boy lunged at Matt across Sora's body. "Wah!" Matt exclaimed, falling off his chair and out of the goggled boy's reach.

"Gah! I'll kill you for that one Matt!" Tai tried to crawl over Sora but was pulled back by Tk.

"Ok, so you wanna kill my brother. Could you let us eat first? In case you haven't noticed, you're kind of interrupting the meal. Or… Sora's meal, at least."

Tai thought about it for a moment, and then turned to Sora. "OH, sorry about that. I'm so sorry." To Matt he said "your days are numbered." In a believe-me-…-please? Kind of voice, while he settled down to eat.

Matt rolled his eyes and shifted in his spot, uncomfortable. The people around him began to start their dinners again, and the talk resumed. After a moment it was almost like nothing had happened… almost.

Sora sighed, her eyes sad. She wanted to say something, but Matt already seemed upset. What could she do? Sora decided to wait for a bit before telling him. After all, what was bad about letting the boy have a breather? She didn't think that it would be damaging at all, so she ignored it. Or tried to.

It's pretty hard to ignore the feeling of a black pit in your stomach.


	10. Chicken Dance

**Chapter ten **

**Chicken Dance --- **

**yes! Only one with NO meaning behind it, whatsoever! Yay! ok, so this is a fun chapter, so I won't have a secret meaning behind it. THIS one's just too much to pass up. **

Is it a bird? A plane? NO! It's Avearia, with another super chapter of SECRETS! Congratulate me, neh? This is really, really hard. I can't believe it took so long to update! I'm having serious typer's block.

Anyway, I think that the reason it took me so long to update was because this chapter is trying to center around Izzy. (It doesn't entirely, though. Oh well.) I haven't thought about him much, and he's such a great character! I just don't want to screw him up. And so I finally get it done... and the server tells me 'sorry. the updating action has been disabled for a few hours.' go figure. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for procrastonating.

Yes, another chapter. Before we start, No, Matt isn't schizophrenic. What's that mean? Read to find out. My sis is like "wow. It's like he has two personalities, or whatever. You should fix that." But I'm lazy, (and I think it's cute with Matt arguing with himself… heehee…) so instead I'd like to say that Matt is perfectly SANE… or as far as that word can be stretched, anyway. Now… where was I?

The Izzy focused chapter. All of the Izzy fans are going to kill me. As heard before, I screwed up the 'how Izzy learned he was adopted' bit. I probably am going to screw up again, and if I get enough complaints, I'll fix it readily. Assuming I learn how. Ok… now… I sort of want this chapter to be a stretch your funny bone chapter. As in - even though it's serious, it's a punch at being funny.

**My other half**: 'Um… no it isn't?'

Ok. You may or may not find it funny. There is a reason I put this in here. Because yes; you may have guessed it… but soon (like next chapter) I shall reveal (dun dun duuunnn!) the main point of this freakishly long fanfiction! … That didn't sound earth shattering enough. Maybe I put the dun-dun-duuunnn in the wrong spot… R&R people!

* * *

_Note: I don't own digimon._

…

_Sora: Uh, wow. That was… really, really uncreative._

_Me: What? Like I have to come up with a witty remark every stinking time you want to hear me say something dumb? Saying 'I don't own digimon' is dumb within and of itself! Don't! Look! At! Me!_

* * *

**Ch. 10: Chicken Dance**

Matt found himself staring at the ceiling over his bed. He lay there, his face blank for a while, and then he sat up, groaning.

"What happened?" he groaned, sitting up. "Why am I awake?"

The question was beside the point. He already knew how he had woken up. It was the same as last night. His dreams had given his brain a jolt and he had awoken eight and a half hours before he needed to be up and about. Matt shook his head, deciding not to think about it. Instead, he pulled the covers off of his body and pushed himself out of bed, his stockinged feet touching the ice cold floor, but the boy didn't even wince. The blonde stood for a moment, thinking sadly. Then he made his way to the closet and sat down on the hard floor cross-legged in front of it.

"Man, what the hell…" Matt muttered to himself, pushing his hands through his short hair. "What the _hell…_this isn't good. Not good, not good, not good… I should have seen this coming." he rocked back and forth, still pulling at his own hair, his eyes looking at the floor.

Lying back, he let his mind wander, where it rested on the memory of tonight's dinner. The words he had said were still ringing in his ears. The words that made him feel a sinking feeling in the pit in his stomach. "_Two WEEKS?"_ he cringed. The entire table had been looking at him. He'd been trying to avoid that kind of attention all summer, ever since he'd met them.

Actually, now that he thought about it… he'd been trying to avoid that kind of attention for…

For years…

"Ahh…" Matt growled softly, mussing his hair and shaking his head. "Stop that." He sighed and looked in the mirror, his eyes meeting his now completely out-of-control hair. "Great." He muttered, and then snatched up a comb, pulling each strand of hair into its place.

When finished, he set down the utensil beside him and looked into the mirror; **really** looked at his own reflection. A blue silk collar lay silently against tired skin. Hair drifted into place, spiking in the appropriate places… but somehow, the hair (though beautiful and glossy) was lacking in jest. The eyes of the boy in the mirror looked strangely dull. The eyes that looked into his soul…

He shook his head again. "No, no, no, no, no." he mumbled to himself. "What the hell…"

"What the hell am I gonna do?" he asked the person in the mirror.

The boy must have been pretty tired, because the image answered back. "Well, what we're supposed to do."

Matt looked down to the feet of the boy in the mirror. "What we're supposed to do."

"Yeah. In fact, we were supposed to do it a long time ago. Remember? Allen was really ticked."

"He would be." Matt answered himself again.

The private conversation continued. "We… never got around to it, did we?" the mirror-Matt asked.

"No, but we should have. _I_ should have." He muttered to himself. "But I wasn't able to do it before. How am I supposed to now?" he rubbed his temples. "I guess I'll have to try. But… if I can't…"

"Don't think like that!" he scolded himself in the mirror. "If you doubt yourself, you never will get through. Not ever! That's why we… _I _couldn't do it before."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

Matt sighed. He was _arguing _with himself. He must have been pretty tired. "Look, you're right. Lack of self confidence, but that's not all, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

And Matt was silent for a while. Suddenly Matt rolled his eyes to the mirror. "Ok, fine. I don't know."

"I think… it's… because…"

"Don't you say it."

"Why?" Matt asked himself angrily. "Because it's strange? Not normal? No one's around, you know."

"But saying it means you believe it."

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does!"

"No it doesn't!

"Yes it does!"

"No it doesn't!"

"This is funny!"

"No it isn't!"

"Quit arguing! You're ruining the mood!"

"What mood? You're an idiot!"

"Me? You're the one who started it! And I am not arguing!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"You are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

Matt shook his head, catching himself at it again. "Ah, fine. Whatever. It's just… what am I going to do?"

"Tell them."

"You said that already. What else?" Matt growled at his reflection, then thought for a moment.

"What else? Uh… you mean the two weeks thing? Let's see…"

"Actually, two days." He corrected himself.

"Oh, right. With Allen." He mumbled to himself. Frowning, he lost the world around him. "Good grief. They're not going to like this."

"My friends, I mean." He told the mirror.

"No, actually I was referring to the family."

"Sure." Matt rubbed his knee and then, for a second, stopped. "Oh, crap. You're beyond right. What the heck… I… I forgot… I haven't told them…"

"Nah, you thought about it. You're just concerned with how your friends will take it. You're right, they'll be shocked too." Matt muttered to his reflection. He sighed. "I… can't…"

"You're just having trouble keeping your mask on. Make sure you keep it on, too. You've been doing an awful job these past days."

"But sometimes the mask slips… and even tomorrow I won't have it on forever. I can't. But… I don't want to _lie…_" he hid his head in his hands. "God, I'm confused. I need to talk to Kristy or something."

"Our counselor?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his temple, then remembered something. "Hey, wait! There's a phone here! But what time is it? She's not going to appreciate me calling at… wow." His eyes found the clock, which now read one hour past midnight… when he had first gotten up.

"I wonder if Gennai pays for long distance?" He muttered to himself, and opened the door to see the old digimon staring him in the face. Matt's body nearly hit the floor when he backed up in surprise. "Gah!"

"Need to use the phone, Matt? Go right ahead."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Five or six seconds. I thought you wanted to use the phone, so I came up here to tell you that you could."

"Are you psychic or something?"

"Sort of." Gennai smiled. "Digimon can sometimes tell what people are thinking, when their state of mind is stressed." Matt's eye rested warily over towards Gabumon's room, which was next to his, separated by only an inch of wood and a doorknob. "No, no. he's sleeping." Gennai said, reading his actions. "But you might want to get some sleep yourself. I can feel your stress from downstairs."

"Can they…" Beads of sweat formed on Matt's forehead. "What I mean is… can they…"

"Know what you're thinking any time of day? No. I can because you're just giving off steam. A lot of it. So much that it's soaking through the floorboards and dropping onto my head like a leaky faucet while I'm trying to read the paper. That's all."

"Oooh, sorry about that. Weird visual, though." He waved at the digimon, passing him and making his way downstairs. "Thanks for the phone call. Do I owe you?" the digimon shook his head. "Well, then. I'll take as long as I want." He smirked and headed down the dark hallway to the stairs.

Gennai watched the reseeding child with sad eyes. Every step of those black-socked feet was followed by the elderly digimon until they disappeared down the staircase. When he was out of sight, Gennai turned to Matt's room, looking at the mirror.

"Take as long as you want, little one. As long as it takes."

* * *

Sora muttered to the darkness. It was clear to her that she was dreaming. "Isn't it supposed to be that you wake up when you realize you're sleeping?" she wondered aloud, her voice echoing off the walls of the ever-empty canyon she was in. "What a strange place to have a dream, though." She muttered. 

She watched as water fell from the sky, landing inside the canyon in the form of a river. It hadn't _rained,_ exactly, just fallen, like someone had dropped a rubber blue piece of something into the rock.

Sora decided to check it out. "Whatever." She said aloud to herself. It was beginning to bug her. Where was everyone?

Ahead, Matt stood on a rock. He gazed down into the newly formed river, as if it was perfectly normal for it to have fallen from the sky. In a way, it was. She was dreaming, right? That was the dream thing to do. Like giving money away during your job. "I had a dream like that once." She muttered. "I think I was selling artichokes…" her voice trailed off, and she pranced over to her friend.

"Hey Matt!" she called out, relieved that she wasn't alone. He glanced up excitedly, then blushed and looked down.

"Er…"

Sora stopped. "Yeah, Matt? What's up? Why're you acting so weird? That's totally not like you at all." She remembered the dinner they'd had that night. "What's going to happen in two weeks?" she asked curiously.

"Er…" Matt muttered again and rubbed his neck. "Actually, two days. And two weeks, when you look at it like that." He muttered. "Well, someone's…"

"Yes?" Sora asked.

"Someone's coming. In… two days, that is. Two days. And…" he blushed. "Sorry about dinner. I just got so worked up. I didn't exactly expect the time to be so short. Two weeks isn't exactly an infinite amount of time, you know. I'm sure everything will work out fine, though. I hope."

"What are you babbling about, Matt? Who's coming?" Sora looked confused.

Matt looked sad. Ok, that was an understatement. Calling Matt sad would be like calling the universe rather large. "Well," he started. "In two days… two days, one of my old friends is coming."

"You have other friends?" Sora asked stupidly, and then hit herself in the head. "Oh, sorry. Of course…"

Matt laughed loudly. "Well, that's ok. That's what I expected you to say. Anyway, he's coming to check up on me… er… and his name is Allen."

"Allen." Sora repeated. Where did she hear that before? Oh, yeah. Telephone conversation. But… where had she heard it before that? Right before…

The earthquake…

"Who is Allen to you?" Sora asked, realizing she was treading on soft ground.

"A friend. An adult, actually." His voice dropped an octave. "A BIG adult." They both laughed.

"That was a weird impression, Matt. He doesn't actually sound like that, does he? That would be weird. And I don't want to laugh at your friend…" she told him. Sora thought to herself for a moment. _'I didn't think that Matt liked adults.'_ "So does he sound like that, really?" Sora asked again, trying to break the silence.

Matt just looked at her, amused. "Now, now. I can't tell, can I?" he joked. "Then it would be no fun. You wouldn't listen to a word he said, then. If you knew… if only you knew." Matt suddenly seemed really upset. Sora began to worry. What was going on?

Matt saw the worry in her eyes. "Now, now. Don't be sad! Don't worry about me now. Save it for later. Right now… I want to see you smile." He jumped off the rock, landing in front of her. Then he bowed, holding out his hand. "For my princess?" he offered an origami bird.

Sora took it, surprised. She was even more surprised, however, when the paper copy of her favorite animal took off into the air and flew away. "Aw, don't worry about it. The bird always flies back." Matt chuckled.

"Sometimes I'm so weird I even freak myself out." Sora muttered. "Now would be one of those times, if you're keeping track…" she rolled her eyes at the bird. "You won't do anything bad to yourself? You won't worry?" she asked Matt, who was looking at her strangely.

"I'm not sure I can promise that." He told her, then he stopped to think. "I could make sure it didn't show…" he suggested.

"No! That would be even worse!" she exclaimed, taking up his hand.

"Ok, ok. No faking. Oh, by the way, Izzy's going to trip tomorrow." He told her happily. "Make sure you're there to see it! Once in a life time thing!" he laughed. "Oh, and don't eat the milk and eggs." He smiled and disappeared into thin air.

Sora just stared. Biyomon came up beside her, tugging at her jeans. "Sora, I want to eat some teriyaki!" she told her master. "And, maybe some lint."

"Some lint. Got it." She mumbled to herself, half dazed. "Sure."

Suddenly she sat up in bed. "Huh?" she wondered, before her stomach growled. "Gosh, hungry… don't eat eggs." Then she was silent.

"Where did that come from?" she asked herself. She glanced at the clock, which read

**3:07**

The numbers burned against her eyes. She closed them, but the numbers still shone brightly. When there was a change and she opened an eye to see the clock now read 3:08, she sighed and hopped out of her bed. "Ok, down to the kitchen with me!" she said merrily. She opened the door a touch before she thought of something. "Oh, but first…" she let the door go and it swung open on its own. "Lessee here…" she muttered to herself happily, rummaging through the closet. "The kitchen floor is always cold. I want to wear some… sandals? Since when do I own…"

_Shaah, shaah, shaahh…_

"Neh?" Sora stopped to listen, trying to figure out what it was. The sound seemed to be coming from the hallway. Creeping slowly, she made it to her open door and glanced out. Matt was walking along, stretching and making his way back to his own room. "What's he doing out here? Did he get hungry?" She asked herself softly. "And what's that noise… oh," her eyes fell onto her crush's black socks. Sora smiled to herself. "Heh, I guess he thinks it's cold too. I'll ask him tomorrow."

* * *

Nancy shifted in her bed. She just couldn't get to sleep. Sighing, she kicked the sheets that twisted around her legs. '_It's not fair…' _Nancy thought. _'Why can't I fall asleep? Is it because I feel guilty?'_ she sighed, moving to look at the ceiling. 

_(Flashback)_

_Richard and Nancy stood in the hallway. "So what was it that you wanted earlier?" her husband asked. "You sounded a bit uncomfortable." _

_Nancy took in a deep breath before she started. "Well, I was wondering if you could tell me about Matt." _

_Her ex looked confused. "About Matt?" _

"_Yeah." _

"_Like…" _

_Nancy shrugged. "Well, I don't know. His favorite color, his hobbies, maybe his grades… I'm not sure. Just something." She blushed. "I feel like I don't know him anymore. I was sorta hoping that you could help me get closer to your son. Our son." She looked down and tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear. "So… what?" _

_Richard seemed confused. "Matt?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Matt. My son?"_

"_Yes. You have a son named Matt." _

"_I know!" Richard looked at her, annoyed. "I mean… let's see…" he frowned. "Favorite color… uh… I think… maybe it's green. Or blue… grey?-er… hobbies. He doesn't… um… His grades are good." He concluded. _

_Nancy looked at him, confused. "Um, ok…" _

"_Yeah." Richard blushed. "I know his grades are really, really good." He nodded. "And he wears tank tops a lot. Nearly all the time." Nancy's ex went on. "They're green, but he has a black one and a blue one. Yeah." The man stuck his hand behind his head. "And… ok… uh…" _

_Nancy couldn't believe her ears. "You don't know either, do you?" she accused. "You're just as bad as me!" _

_Richard looked down. He hadn't thought about Matt that much. He really didn't know a lot about his son. His son was just a kid that he loved, that happened to live under his roof and talk with him every once in a while. He didn't know very much about him at all. "Sorry." The man muttered at the ground. _

_Nancy was immediately upset. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She told him. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, before Nancy asked one more question. "You know who Allen is?" _

_Richard seemed surprised. "No, I don't." he had seen Matt's outburst like everyone else had. "I wonder what's got him so uptight? He doesn't seem to be like that usually." Richard noted. "Why do you ask? Are you worried? … I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." _

_Nancy nodded. "Yeah. Soon enough." She turned away, walking down the long corridor. After a while she turned to look behind her, and Richard was gone. _

"_Maybe too soon." _

_(End flashback)_

The woman shivered. Sometimes she gave herself the creeps, with how foreboding she could be. "Maybe too soon." She muttered to herself. "Bah. I shouldn't scare myself like that." Sitting up, she sighed. "Well, I guess my ex husband doesn't know much about our own son either. The only way to fix that will be to ask Matt or one of his friends directly. I suppose." She shrugged. "But I shouldn't worry about it. I'll give myself the creeps again."

"I'm hungry." She realized, jumping out of her bed. "I wonder, is there anything left in that fridge? Oh, I'm so hungry…" she moaned, rubbing her stomach. Grabbing a coat and slippers, she stalked out the door. "I'm going to eat." She muttered to herself, opening and closing the door. When she was outside, she saw Matt's face in the darkness for a moment. She gasped, fighting the urge to run back in her room. The Matt in the darkness faded away when she threw her hand over it, though.

"Ah…" Nancy said knowingly. "Ok. It was just nothing. My imagination. I'm really feeling guilty." She cringed. "Not on purpose. Ok?"

She trotted down the hallway, following her nose to the kitchen. When she got there, she pulled several bits of food out of the fridge. She could've sworn she heard Matt's voice. "Guilty." She muttered. When she finally finished eating, she headed off back to bed and the corner of her eye caught her son sitting next to a chair, talking softly on the phone. She listened.

"Yeah. It's going to happen soon, and I don't know what I'm going to do about it. I'm scared to death, Kristy. What should I do? … I KNOW I have to tell them. I'm not an idiot, Kristy." He told the receiver. "Besides. I'm sure they haven't figured it out already."

Nancy couldn't tell from where she was standing whether Matt was joking or seriously worried. "Hm…" she thought to herself. Finally she headed off to bed. "It's not my business to but into. I really should just leave him alone." She told herself. "No spying!"

Yet somehow, the idea of Matt being scared really didn't feel right.

Really, really didn't.

* * *

Richard Ishida yawned as he stepped into the kitchen. "'morning." He sighed, waving sleepily to his sons. Tk was hunched over a booklet, shading the alligator that was on the page in using a deep green crayon. His other son, Matt was looking at his eggs and bacon, glaring at it angrily. Richard was rather confused at his behavior, but ignored it. Matt was probably trying to make some sort of joke or something. Instead, Mr. Ishida walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a giant jug of milk. He poured some into a glass, and then set it back in the fridge. 

"So, what's everyone doing?" he asked, before Sora's mother handed him a plate of eggs.

"I'm making breakfast."

"Er… shouldn't we eat the leftovers first?" he asked.

"What leftovers?" Matt and Joe both asked at the same time.

Sora sighed. "Sorry, guys. It wasn't me! I swear! When I came down, I only had some chicken. And some chips. And… some cookies. But that's it. There was still SOME things left in there! Don't blame me!" she told them, and Joe shrugged. Matt just looked at his plate and picked at a strip of bacon, eventually sticking it into his mouth.

"I have nightmares of Bacon." Joe said, trying to push the plate away with his fork. "All that evil fat! Yuck!"

"You sound like a girl going on a diet." Izzy commented. "If your hair was any longer, I'm sure that you'd even look like one. You're so skinny, Joe."

"Do you know all the diseases that can be found in fat?"

"Salmonella and Bacterial infections. And Mad cow disease, sometimes." Izzy answered him, much to Joe's dismay. "Nothing that serious with fried bacon, though."

"Quit ruining my self-insecure, completely-insane, totally-irrational fears! For the sake of humanity!" Joe cried.

"Yeah. If Joe didn't complain, I'd think the world would be coming to an end." Matt drawled.

"You aren't taking me seriously!" Joe accused.

"What was your first hint?" Matt asked, giving him an over eccentric smile.

"Relax Joe. He never takes anything seriously." Sora offered solace.

"No, no. I just never take any of _you _seriously." Matt told her.

"Not like you should" Joe said sarcastically.

"Thank you." Matt smirked.

Joe went into a fit. Mat just couldn't hide the smirk that was spreading on his face. He couldn't help that Joe had dissed himself. I mean, he practically set himself up for that one. Matt waited until Tai tried to quiet Joe down to return to his plate. He didn't want to eat the eggs, either. There was something about them… he glanced up to see his father. "Hey dad? Uh…"

Richard looked up at his son. "Yeah, Matt?" He asked, munching on a strip of bacon.

"I need. To. Tell. You. Some. Thing." He stammered quietly.

"Tell me what?"

Matt's friends were all looking at him. "Uh…" he stammered. "Um… y'see, I… uh…"

Sora looked at him curiously. _Is he really going to talk with them now?" _she wondered. _I can't believe he'd do this. He seems kind of worried. I could barely bring myself to do it. _She thought a moment. _Or maybe he's saying something else…_

Matt sweated. _Great._ He thought to himself. _Make them look at you longer. How will he take it? I can't do this. _Matt looked at his father, who stared back innocently. He had no idea what was going on, or that this wasn't standard procedure for Matt. In his mind, Matt wasn't acting strange at all. "Uh…" Matt suddenly smiled. "Guess who's coming tomorrow and wants to speak with you?" he said happily, rocking his chair back and forth gently.

"Who?" His father asked, reaching for his glass and putting it to his lips.

"Allen!"

At that moment, both Matt's parents, Sora's parents, Tai, Tai's mom, Izzy, Izzy's father, Joe, and Mimi's dad (who had all been drinking the milk at the same time) all spit out their milk. Matt sweatdropped. "What happened?" He asked. "Was it something I said?"

"EyUCK!" Joe cried spitting as much milk as possible back into the glass. The rest were coughing. "What _is_ that? It's rancid!" he cried.

"My milk's sour!"

"Mine too!"

"That is totally, extremely disgusting!"

"I can't believe that went into my mouth!"

"Medic!"

Sora came next to Matt and watched as the others spat their milk out. "Serves them right for not checking. And drinking all at once. Now THAT'S what _I _call coincidence!" she laughed, pouring out her milk into the sink. As an added side note, she remembered her dream. "Don't eat the eggs!"

The entire room made a move for the trash can. Joe was busy trying to suck water out of the faucet, while others opened the refrigerator to reveal a half carton of orange juice in the top shelf. It was a chaotic sight to see everyone scurrying around the kitchen trying to find a way to clean their mouth out.

Matt was laughing, half relieved, half overwhelmed with the sight before him. "Help. Hahahaa… I can't breathe. Ahhahahah! Eheehee… I'm gonna die…" Matt laughed.

* * *

Joe was walking with Izzy down the corridor. "Guhd greeeef." He commented, in between brushing his teeth for the millionth time. "Taht 'asnt fuhnny." He said. 

"You said it." Izzy scrunched up his nose. Suddenly Joe disappeared into a bathroom, leaving Izzy to stand out in the hallway. The red headed boy leaned against the wall, listening to Joe struggle with the faucet. Abruptly, his father and mother walked across the hallway ahead of him, talking to each other. They were on their way outside.

Izzy drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, Joe! My parents!"

"Ya whaht?" Joe asked, leaning around the doorway to look at him.

Izzy stared at him for a moment. Joe was trying to think what was wrong, when he disappeared back into the bathroom and spit and rinsed. "Your what?" he asked again.

"My PARENTS." Izzy enunciated for the older child.

Joe just stared at him, and then it registered into his brain. "Oh, right. … OH! YOUR PARENTS! GAH!" Joe hid in the bathroom.

Izzy sighed. "Ok, first of all, that's supposed to be MY reaction, and second, they went outside." He told him, smiling.

Joe just looked at Izzy. "Well, you're in a good mood..." he said. Joe sighed and stuck his toothbrush back into his mouth, thinking. Izzy wasn't a very good 'public' speaker, especially when 'public' meant 'family.' He was sure that Izzy would have enough guts to speak to his parents, though. _I mean, **I **spoke to my father. If someone with guts like me… if you can call it guts… can do this, then Izzy definitely can. I mean, if Izzy wanted someone with guts, he would've chosen Tai._ Finally Joe rinsed out his mouth and toothbrush, setting it down. "I'll come back for it later." He said to no one in particular. "Now." He turned to Izzy. "What to do now."

"You used now too much in that sentence." The redhead boy told Joe.

"You're trying to change the topic." Joe told him back.

"You're right, I am." Izzy admitted shamelessly.

"You're also insane."

"Better than being stupid." Izzy shrugged after a moment and sunk into deep thought. While he was thinking, Joe took the opportunity to steer him to the corridor where Izzy had pointed to him earlier. Izzy was still deep in thought when they reached there, and it took him a minute to realize where he stood. "Uh, Joe? What?"

"What indeed. Where'd they go?"

Izzy looked at him dully, pointing in one direction. Then it hit him. "Hey!" Izzy protested indignantly. "You're kidding. Not right now! I don't want to talk to them now! Not now! Now isn't a good time. I'm not ready now!"

"You used Now too much in those sentences." Joe smirked.

Izzy looked up at Joe. His mind was reeling. _What am I going to tell them? What am I going to say? What do I do? I mean, sure, I know I want to get this over with, but I don't want to ruin my relationship with my parents!_

"What are you afraid of?" Joe asked suddenly.

Opening his mouth to answer, Izzy was suddenly speechless. "Uhhh…" he muttered, trying to understand his own feelings. "Afraid of… uh…."

Joe smiled. "Well, then, let's get right to it! Your parents went this way…"

* * *

"You know what's funny?" Sora asked Matt, pulling him up the stairs from the kitchen to their rooms. She turned around smiling at him. 

"Our friends?"

"No. Our… oh, hey, wait… Yeah. Our friends." Sora looked at him. "Oh, but what's even funnier; I had a dream that you told me not to eat the eggs. Or milk, maybe. It's kind of foggy, but…"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "So one of my best friends is psychic. Goody." He rolled his eyes. Sora put her hands on her hips, glaring at her friend. "What?" Matt smirked. "You should be glad you didn't eat the eggs. Or the milk. And that you're psychic. I mean, you can't blame this on me!"

"But you're the one who told me, in my dream."

"What are you doing, prying into my image while you're sleeping? I've done no such thing." Matt smirked.

"But you still told me. What do you say to that?"

Matt thought a moment. Suddenly he came up to eye level beside her. "Hm… how about…" he touched her nose and dashed up the stairs. "Tag. You're it!"

"You're such an immature little… hey! I don't wanna be it!" Sora screamed up and followed him, perpetuating the randomness of the game.

Matt nearly made it to his door when he tripped. He landed on the floor, and turned to see Sora coming at him with a vengance. "I realise this is totally and completely my fault, but… Oh god, don't kill me!" he threw up his hands and suddenly things were quiet. He looked up to see Sora sitting on the floor in a half daze. "What happened?" he asked.

Gennai leaned over into Matt's vision, making the blonde boy jump. "Wha-- when'd you get here? Don't scare me like that!" the blonde put a hand over his heart. "I thought Sora was going to kill me."

"Well, good thing I found you, then. Come on, I need help with these boxes." Gennai told them. Sora picked herself off the floor and Matt was just about to follow. "That's ok, Matt. Just pick up your room and that'll be fine for me."

"What are you, my mother?"

"I could be. You never know." Gennai said airily, making Matt shudder. "Come on, Sora. I need Tai to help me too. And he's being stubborn." Sora followed Gennai, and right as she was about to leave, her head shot up.

"Bye Matt. See you later." She told him.

"Uh… bye." Matt left into his room.

Sora watched him dissappear into his room. _Oh, what am I going to do with him? He made me go completely off track with our conversation. It's like he didn't want to talk about breakfast at all. And I wanted to ask him… who allen is._ Sora thought to herself, sighing. "Guess I'll never know. Anyway…" she turned to Gennai. "What's in the boxes?"

* * *

Izzy got himself wound up. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can… do his… I … can too his… I cantoon his… I can tune this…" Izzy let his brain be sidetracked before Joe sighed and shook his head, right before he shoved him in the path of his parents. "Eek! Uh, Hi, mom. Dad. Nice to see you here." Izzy smiled nervously. "Uh…" 

Izzy's parents, Rachel and Chris, let their son talk. Finally Rachel smiled. "Yes, what is it?" she asked her son.

"Mom, dad, can I talk to you?"

Chris looked confused. "Sure. You don't have to ask, silly." He told Izzy.

"Great. C'mere a second." He pulled his parents over and around the corner. _Ok. I can do this. Just ask them the question. Just ask them._ Izzy thought to himself as they stopped. Looking into his father's trusting eyes gave him strength. Izzy thought of all the times they'd had together, and could bearly believe that they weren't his parents. They'd treated him so _well._ just like their own son. And he'd treated them like his own parents. But… he had to know. And that's what it came down to, he jut had to know who his parents were, and who he really was. These thoughts ran through his mind as he began talking to his parents. "Am I… er… what I mean is… um…" Izzy stammered for a moment.

"Yes?"

"What I'm trying to ask is… Am I… are you… who is…"

"Are you all right?" Chris asked his son. "you're acting funny."

"If there was something different about me than someone else, would you tell me?" Izzy asked quickly, finally remembering what the question was.

His parents, however, didn't understand. "Uh, excuse me?"

"I am adopted, right?" Izzy asked, and then bit his lip. "Oops. That wasn't the question…" Izzy looked down at his shoes, repeating the dreaded question. "Adopted, adopted, adopted, am I adopted? Please…" he muttered in a quiet voice.

Rachel looked at her son with sad eyes. "Oh, honey…" she said in a small voice. "We were going to tell you."she sighed. "We knew this day would come, but we just… kept putting it off."

"We're sorry. We just… didn't think you were ready to know yet." Chris pitched in. There was silence between the two, then they pulled Izzy close. Rachel held her adopted son in her arms, swaying back and forth in a gentle motion.

"I'm sorry. When did you figure it out?" his mother asked quietly.

Izzy pulled off of his mother, locking his hands behind his back. "Well, oh, when… you were talking about it. A long time ago, actually. I didn't believe it, so I checked papers from your desk. Who's my dad?" Izzy asked abruptly, looking at them in the eye. "My… real… dad?"

* * *

Matt growled, leaning over and pulling his dirty clothes into a clothes hamper. "I guess Gennai really COULD pass as mom." He muttered, straitening a stack of books on the floor and putting them on a bookshelf. Finally, after half an hour of straightening his room, he heaved a sigh and sat on his bed, thinking un-mattlike things. "I wonder… how they'll take it. I don't think they even heard me at breakfast." Matt mumbled. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, oh, the ode of tomorrow… I want an apple." 

scrutinizing his job, Matt's thoughts turned to his room. "done, done, done, don…e…" he looked at his window. "Busted… oh well. earthquake's fault. Can't blame me, huh?"

He thought back to the earthquake. He had been having the best dream, before Sora had woken him up. Of course, that wasn't such a bad thing…

She'd kissed him after all.

Well, it wasn't really a kiss. She said so. But he could pretend. It was like he'd imagined it, only better. "Too bad I wasn't awake for the whole thing…" suddenly Matt couldn't keep his eyes open. Darkness formed on the edge of his vision as he lay back on his mattress. "So… tired…"

The last thing he imagined before he fell asleep was her. He dreamed of her. _'what is this?'_ Matt's last thought before he fell asleep danced on his subconscious. _'Is this love?'_

* * *

Tai was groaning as he pulled his box along the corridor. "You can't be serious. How'd I get conned into this?" He moaned, and Agumon, somewhere behind him, agreed. 

"Yeah. This thing's heavy."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Tai muttered.

"Really? You're such a wimp, Tai. Mine's so light, I could hold it with one arm." Sora told her friend. She glanced back at biyomon. "Isn't yours light?" she asked her digimon, who shook her head and started making fake gagging noises. The three of them made quite a dramatic scene. "You're all pathetic."

"Good thing we didn't ask… Mi… Mi or Joe. Right… guys?" Tai mumbled. "They'd be… com…plaining… so much right now." He grunted and grinned.

"Just set them right here… Oh, wait. I forgot… the kitchen is upstairs. Come on, we're going outside." Gennai told the group.

"Upstairs? Are you nuts?" Tai asked Gennai.

"Well, Matt thinks so. I suppose I could be…" Gennai smiled.

"Why aren't you… carrying a box?" Tai grunted. "And… Matt? What's that… supposed to me…an?"

"Gennai told Matt to clean his room." Sora answered for him.

Tai stared. "What are you, his mother?"

"Possibly. You never know."

"Well, seeing as how it would be pretty hard for a male digimon to be ANYONE'S mother, I think we're pretty cleared up on that subject. Shall we make tracks?" Sora asked, heading out a door into a stone hallway. She sighed a happy sigh. _'Oh, what pretty walls. Why can't I always live in a castle? I'm going to stay here for ever and ever. That is… if Yamato wants to stay here for ever and ever. Maybe I can convince him that school is evil and they sell good hair gel here.' _

"What are you smiling about?" Tai asked grumpily.

"The walls."

Tai rolled his eyes. "Sure. Ok. What about the… walls?" They…'re nice and all… really…" he grunted again. It was hard work. "What's in this… box, anyway? Lead?"

"Perhaps. You never know when you'll need the valuable semi-metal, Lead. Right?"The old digimon mocked.

"Ha… ha… You really wouldn't…" Tai muttered.

"And stop saying perhaps. It's confusing me." Agumon told Gennai from the rear of the group.

"Just what I was thinking." Biyomon said.

"Hey guys." Mimi popped around a door and smiled, holding her hands behind her back.

"What're YOU smiling about?" Tai's voice broke. "Why does everyone have to be so gosh darn happy? It's freaking me out here. Please… please tell me everyone else is insane. Today will NOT be a good day."

"Not after the incident this morning." Mimi laughed.

"Definitely not after this morning." Palmon commented. "Wha'cha doing, Agumon?"

"Lifting… weights…" He groaned.

Sora snickered. "Well, I think that today will be fun. Hilarious, even."

"You and your dumb predictions." Tai sighed.

* * *

"Your father… he was one of my best friends." Chris told his son, who listened intently. "When your parents died… in a car crash… You had no close relatives. We offered to take you." 

"My dad…"

"Was the funniest person I've ever met." Chris laughed. "He'd play practical jokes on us all the time, and had the most interesting christmas letter. At least, that's what I think. And the nine million other people on his mailing list. My most favorite letter: 'This christmas, the golf course exploded under a seige of blasting golf balls. The greens just couldn't handle my accuracy, they had to import me to a higher level of golfing.' Translation, 'I had an extremely terrible year for golf. They nearly kicked me off the course.' The most offbeat, unorthodox things you could think of…" Izzy's father laughed, making Izzy himself smile broadly.

"And your mother." Rachel took over. "She was the sweetest thing. She always baked cookies and sent them over. Had one hell of a job too. She was a doctor, and made enough to get a red corvette. I was always jealous." Rachel playfully kicked her husband. "she had spunk as well. Always doing something new. Right after she had you, as soon as she was out of the hospital, she went and took skydiving lessons. Wacky, huh?"

"My parents were cool." Izzy smiled to himself.

"Someday, we'll sit down with the photo album, and show you everything." Rachel said.

Izzy smiled up at his parents. "Really?"

"Really. If that's what you want." Chris told him happily.

"Thanks." Izzy hugged them both. "Thanks for telling me… Mom. Dad."

Joe smiled from the shadows. _'See, Izzy? It wasn't that hard. You just had to try.'_ He thought to himself. But somewhere inside told him that it really _had_ been that hard. Something about spilling a secret was just too much. Too overloading on the soul. It just seemed like an easy thing afterwards because they felt wonderful. It really didn't reflect how torn you were inside when you had to tell something terrible. That could only be reflected by the stubbornness of not telling them. Of not telling anyone. _'Good for you Izzy.' _He thought.

He must have gained telepathy overnight, because Izzy looked up at him, smiled, and stood back from his parents. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat, Ok?" He said happily.

Joe took his silent cue and walked forward. "Izzy. I've got dibs on the chocolate."

"They're out of chocolate."

"Wha?"

"I checked."

"When?" Joe asked grumpily.

"Oh, this morning, before I was handed a plate of eggs." He told the older boy.

"What were you doing looking for ice cream in the morning? You weren't thinking about eating something so malnutritious for breakfast, were you?" Rachel asked in mock suspicion. Izzy smiled up at his redheaded mother as they rounded the corner, but then suddenly felt himself falling. He looked down…

* * *

"Bring it over here…" Gennai coaxed Tai up the stairs. The order of the group completely changed around. After a while of carrying boxes, everyone decided that they'd put the boxes at the foot of the stairs, outside, so that they'd be able to bring them all up at once. The only problem was, now, (after several trips of Tai grimacing and groaning his head off) every box was sitting at the bottom of the flight of stairs. 

"What's this?" Tk asked. Tai looked suspiciously at the boy, who was standing next to Kari. The brown haired boy remembered what he'd seen a few days ago, with them holding hands and talking in the meadow. Tk ignored the face that Tai made at him and went on. "So many boxes." He commented.

"So many boxes!" Tai mocked him in a little voice.

"Tai!" Kari said indignantly.

"Ta-ai…" Tai continued his mock.

"Cut it out!"

"Cut it ou- ch! Sora! What was that for?" Tai hopped on one leg, the other being too sore at the moment to stand on.

"Kick you? Because you're being immature."

"Some friends." Tai muttered. "Where does this box go?" Mimi pointed to where Gennai stood. "Great. Up-stairs." He lifted his box again, and Agumon, Biyomon, and Sora followed suit.

"Think we should help 'em?" Patamon asked innocently.

"No." Kari and Gatomon said at the same time. "Let my brother be tired. We'll sit here and _observe._ Besides, we're too small to lift these…" Kari tried tugging at one of the boxes, which didn't budge.

Tk and Mimi leaned forward curiously. "What's in them, anyway? Sora said they were light, and Tai said they were heavy." Mimi told them, reaching for a box. "Don't suppose they'll mind if we take a peek?" She asked, and got several heads to shake. Flipping open one of the boxes, she looked in, confused.

"What is it?" Tk took out a small squirt bottle.

"It looks like the Catsup bottles they give you at restauraunts." Kari had also taken one out of the box. Carefully, she squirted it on her hand. It was white and pasty. When she rubbed her hands together, she knew instantly what it was. "GLUE!"

"Why are they taking glue up to the pantry?"

"Maybe that's not all there's in the boxes…" Tk took out three other bottles, holding them in his hands. "Nope. Nothing under these bottles…"

"There's pillows in this one." Mimi had opened another box. "Sora must be carrying these."

"More bottles. These are…" Kari squirted some on her hands. "Honey. Weird."

"Look out below!"

Everyone looked up. Izzy lost his balance, running into his mom before falling down the stairs. They'd looked up in time to see Rachel back into her husband, who fell on Gennai, who elbowed Tai, who was carrying a box. He effectively dumped his entire boxful of honey onto his body, the bottles popping open and going onto his shirt. After that little mishap, he fell over on Agumon and Biyomon, who both did the same thing with their boxes while rolling back down the steps.

"Get out of the way!" Kari yelled to the others, but too late. Biyomon collided with Tk and Patamon, and Tai with Gatomon and Mimi. She herself tried to catch Agumon, but missed, falling backwards into a box of pillows. Instead it was Mimi who (accidentally) caught her brother's digimon, his momentum sending her back into another bunch of boxes.

There was some tumbling and kicking of boxes as the world crashed around them, and then there was a breif silence. Somewhere above, Joe popped his head around the corner to look at the disaster. "Wow. For once, it wasn't my fault." He smiled, going down to help them. "Is everyone ok?"

"I look like a…" Tai stood up and looked at his body in disbeleif. "Like a… like a…"

"Chicken?" Izzy provided from the floor.

The honey that had stuck to his body had somehow attracted the feathers from the pillows, and now the boy was a sticky mess. Others looked at what they looked like.

"Chickens."

"Great."

"Get off me, will ya?"

"This is funny, right Tai?" Sora asked.

The boy sighed. "No."

Sora started laughing. "Well, I think it's funny. That we're not hurt, and covered in feathers. It was like a life size Rube Goldberg Machine. You know, those things where they have tons of steps, but produce one small task? I think this is funny. Hilarious, even. And I'm sure that Matt will think so too." She looked at her clothes, desprately trying to brush off the feathers before looking up. "God, he's going to laugh his head off."

"Where is he, anyway?" Mimi muttered from the floor.

* * *

Matt blinked. 

"What?" he asked the ceiling. He groaned, sitting up and glancing at his alarm clock.

**4:11 pm.**

He glared at it, trying to understand. Finally it registered. "I fell asleep. I fell asleep?" suddenly he stood up, which wasn't such a good idea. Sitting back down, he let his vision clear as he tried hard to remember what exactly had happened. "I cleaned my room, I sat down… I… fell asleep. How? I wasn't even… Tired…" he slowly stood up. Deep in thought, he walked out of his room and down the hallway. He hoped that Sora hadn't been waiting for him.

"Oh, that's right. She was doing some errand… for Gennai…"

his feet carried him down the hallway absent mindedly. _'fell asleep. Fell asleep. What happened? This never happened before… even under the unusual circumstances… was I pushing myself too hard? Or maybe I just didn't get enough sleep last night, since I had that dream, and called Kristy… and…' _He was so deep in thought that when he passed the group of digidestined (Which was rather large at the moment) he didn't even notice.

"Matt?"

The voice startled him. It was Sora's. Remembering what he was thinking about before he fell asleep, he was slightly shocked. His head snapped up, and he turned around. "Oh, Sora, I'm sorry I didn't see you there-- what?"

Turning around, he saw Tai, Mimi, Kari, Sora, Tk, Gennai, Izzy, Rachel, Agumon, Biyomon, Gatomon, palmon, and Patamon standing (or flying) in front of him, decked out in feathers. "Um… you… have a feather… on your nose…" he told Mimi, who brushed it off, annoyed.

"Oh, do I now?"

"Um, now you have… heh… Two feathers… heheh… on your nose…" Matt bit his lip, trying his hardest not to tick Mimi off by laughing, and Mimi scowled. She swiped again, this time leaving a whole mess of them on her face.

"I dreamed you told me Izzy was going to trip." Sora remembered suddenly. "Once in a life time thing! Don't miss it!" Matt let out a squeak, struggling with the hard indicision of 'to laugh or not to laugh. That's really, really the question, here.' _'I'm not making this easy for myself…'_ Matt thought to himself and squeaked again.

"Well, I found it." Joe popped through one of the nearby doors.

"Found… what?" Tai asked cautiously.

"The music." He held out a boom box, which started playing 'I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck, I just wanna shake my butt…'

Matt just couldn't hold it in any longer, and broke down laughing.

---


	11. Arrival

****

Before starting this chapter, I'd like to take a moment and apologize to anyone who might have just gotten 11 emails notifying that I updated my story. If you didn't get them, then you're blessed by the gods. Why would they get 11 notifications, you ask? Simple; I just spent the last hour repasting all the chapters in their rightful spots. There's a chance that you didn't get the notification, though.

I'd like to say something. "I'm sorry!" If you are unsure why the previous apology was needed, here's the explination: two years ago, 12-30-05, I updated ch. 10 as a new-year present. Unfortunately, in the few hours I did update this, had a bug. By updating one chapter, all the rest were put out of order; the chapters went 2, 9, 1, 7, ect. I put in a note to for them to fix it, and they never did.

I was considering on letting this story slide, just never be finished, but then I got a pm from someone (coughLiesandtruthcough) who requested I start updating the story again. After two years. Well! If you know me, I'm a sucker for those things. If even one person wants it to be finished, it usually gets finished. So I went in and re-did all the other chapters and wrote a new chap.

This story will be finished! Eventually! Before I go off to college! So, I'm sorry for wasting your time with that long explination, and will give the story now. If you are no longer interested in this story (I don't blame you.) then feel free to ignore this.

This chapter's dedicated to Lies-and-Truth because… well, if they hadn't asked, this chapter wouldn't be here right now.

_Note: nomigid nwo t'nod I. Thank you. _

**CH. 11: Arrival**

"…And then, he did! Izzy tripped, and fell over right into his mom, and then it was like… dominos…" Sora laughed harder and fell back into the beanbag-like chair she was sitting in. She and Matt were inside, in Matt's room, and Sora had basically felt that she needed to recap the ENTIRE thing to Matt.

Matt himself was lying flat on his mattress (which was still on the floor,) and grinning to himself. He tried to picture the scene as Sora went on babbling about it. He'd asked her what happened right after 'the fall' had occurred, and again at dinner, but every time she'd started they'd either been interrupted or Sora would crack up in the middle of a sentence. Or one of the others would glare at them so hard that Matt himself would begin to laugh.

So now it was the next day, right after breakfast. Matt had invited Sora up to his room and they'd been there for two hours, trying to get through what had happened. The two kids seemed easily distracted that day, though. Matt sighed and inspected the ceiling as a tired thought came to his head, but he suppressed it and turned to Sora, who'd started talking again.

"…fell into each other, and all the feathers and honey and sticky stuff got stuck on our clothing… and well…" she gave a soft chuckle. "You know the rest."

Matt let out a small burst of laughter as he remembered just how everyone had looked. Mimi wasn't here now, so he was free to laugh without the fear of being attacked.

Sora laughed with him. They laughed for a few minutes before finally stopping for breath. Sighing, Sora sat up. "But you know…" she began, flipping over to look over the beanbag to where Matt lay. She stopped, slightly uncertain.

The blonde boy blinked and rolled over onto his stomach. He looked straight at Sora. "Well I know…" he asked her, his voice questioning and slightly mocking. Sora stuck her tongue out at him before sighing again, making Matt frown. "Hey, don't be like that. I have weird dreams all the-!" Matt stopped abruptly.

"Time." Sora finished for him. She glared at him from across the room, daring him to elaborate.

It was Matt's turn to stick his tongue out. "Yes." He answered. "Same dream, every night. Standing underwater, looking up, being weird, seeing everybody else. Except I don't go up there to meet you guys. It's like I can't swim." He shook his head. "Or that I don't want to."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Because we're really THAT hard to be seen with, right?" she hummed sarcastically, enough to make Matt chuck a pillow in her direction. She sighed. "Hm…"

Matt looked down. "Dreams are just weird, Sora. Forget them." He advised, stretching. Sora pulled at the pillow he'd thrown at her, fiddling with one of the corners.

"I… Don't you think it's odd?" She asked suddenly, snapping up.

Matt blinked at her. "Um… sure." He answered, playing along. Sora huffed at him and looked around her for something to throw at his head.

"I mean, the dream I had… I dreamt that you… and then… well see…." Sora trailed off. Matt waited patiently as she tried to explain. With a large, controlled inhale, Sora began again. "Well, I had a dream the night before the whole incident happened." She told him. "And… you see, well… you told me that Izzy was going to trip. And not to eat the eggs." She stated.

Matt sighed and nodded. "Well, yes. You did tell me that earlier."

There was a brief silence. Again, Sora sighed. "And the eggs were bad." She went on. "They _were._ And Izzy _did_ trip. You see?" she closed her eyes and rested them on her hands.

Matt grinned. "So you're psychic. Good for you. Go open 24-hour hotline and I'll call ya in three weeks."

Sora looked down. She didn't even smile. Frowning, Matt sat up. "Something wrong?"

"You told me an old friend of yours is coming 'tomorrow'. That was yesterday, so I suppose he's coming today, then?"

Matt froze. "And old friend." He said, making Sora look up at him. It had been more of a question than a statement, so she shrugged.

"You said his name was… Allen…"

At this, Matt bit his lip and looked at his feet. There was a long, awkward silence. They both knew what was coming next.

"Who is Allen? To you?" Sora asked.

Matt shrugged stiffly. "He's a friend. An adult, actually." Sora blinked at the déjà vu, waiting for the next line he'd said in the dream. The line didn't come. Instead he shrugged again, more for his comfort than hers. "Well, you'll know who he is soon enough." He said.

Sora stared him down for a moment. He looked back with cold, closed eyes. They just stayed in the same spot for several minutes, looking at each other. Finally Sora rolled over to look at the opposite wall.

"I wish you'd trust me…" she whispered.

Matt didn't break his stare. He just kept his eyes locked on the back of her head, running thoughts through his mind. _'trust…'_ he thought to himself. _'what a dumb thing. Of all the subjects to hit, we had to get all upset over TRUST.' _He thought bitterly. An afterthought came up before he could suppress it.

'_My weakness.' _

Matt hesitated a moment, his breath hitched in his throat. Sora shifted her weight, sensing a movement behind her. She craned her head to look over her shoulder, out of the corner of her eye, to Matt.

"Hey Sora?" the boy called across the room. "About Allen…"

-

* * *

-

Nancy strolled in the corridor. Humming, she glanced out several windows that she passed. The sky was full of both sunlight and clouds. Dark shadows hung over the clouds, but the sunlight was penetrating them to reach the ground, giving everything a nice, pale glow. _'well, looks like it could either rain or be sunny today…' _the woman thought to herself. She noticed the sun was high in the sky and wondered if it was time for lunch. Optimistically, she headed to the kitchen.

There was hardly anyone there. The catlike digimon was curled up in a chair, sleeping, and the boy with the large mass of brown hair was looking through the cupboards. She stepped in and looked at the clock, noting that they'd only eaten an hour ago. "I should really start watching how I eat." She mumbled to herself. In spite of her worries, she opened the nearby refrigerator. "Or join an exercise program."

"Nuthin' wrong with a little of both." The bushy haired boy answered her, standing on his tiptoes to reach a higher shelf. He brought back a soda jug and a glass from the shelves. "One two. One two. One two! Ha!" Tai punched the air enthusiastically before realizing that he was talking out loud. "Oh. Right. Sorry…" he blushed, going back to his drink.

"Was I talking out loud?" Nancy asked him, curious and slightly embarrassed.

"I believe I was." Tai answered, misinterpreting her question. "Oh, but you were too, so if you don't tell, I won't tell?" he smirked, and suddenly Nancy was reminded of Matt.

Obviously the catlike digimon, Gatomon, thought so too. "Geez, Tai. Don't go all Ishida on us." She meowed, her tail twitching. She found her feet and jumped off the chair, stretching. When she finished, her tail twitched snootily and she began to stalk out of the room. "Otherwise everyone's going to get sick of his sarcasm, and then one of you two will have a grave. Here lies Matt- the annoying. Or… here lies Tai, sadly influenced by Matt, the annoying." She mused, leaving. "I'm outta here."

Nancy couldn't help but smile. Tai just shrugged as the Digimon left the room. It became oddly silent as they went about eating. Nancy just watched as the boy poured soda into his glass and then fetched chips to go with his drink. After a moment, Tai noticed that the adult was watching him. He raised an eyebrow, and again, Nancy was reminded of her son. "Something wrong?" Tai asked.

Nancy blinked and opened her mouth. _'fine. No, nothing's wrong.'_ She'd meant to answer, but the words confused themselves in her mouth. "So you know my son well." she stated.

Tai blinked. "Hm? Oh. Yeah, well, I _did_ spend half a year with Tk…"

"I… ah…" Nancy blushed. "That didn't come out right… I meant Matt." She tried to correct herself.

Blushing, Tai looked down at his glass. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, I made a false assumption. Matt's your son too. I just sort of forgot that… he doesn't talk about you much…" he trailed off, thinking with a frown. "…or about anyone in his life, really…"

Nancy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, it's ok, common mistake…"

This snapped Tai out of his dreamland. "Um… right. Well, yes, I know him. Everyone in our group does." He stopped. "Wow, that sounds really stupid when you say it. I mean, doesn't everyone here know Matt?" Tai stopped again. "Geez, that sounds stupid." He muttered, wincing.

Nancy looked down. "Well, not everyone knows him…"

Tai looked at her. "No?"

"No… well, I… it's just… I feel like I don't know him at all!" she blurted out. Letting go of the refrigerator door, she bit her lip in embarrassment. After the door slid shut she started again. "I mean… I don't know anything about him. And it doesn't help that he's always so… well…"

"Secretive?"

Nancy snapped her head up. In front of her, Tai gazed at her, his face sad but understanding. She found she couldn't say anything, and didn't want to. Tai was the first to speak.

"Yes. Well, Matt's just that way, you know? Never fully known…" he set his glass down. "It's like he's hiding something from us, you know? Like he doesn't want us to get to close… which I've always thought was weird, since he's got the crest of friendship and all."

Nancy nodded. "Yeah. I get that feeling sometimes too." She agreed with him. "But… If there was something he was hiding, I wish he would tell me. I hate being the idiot." She sighed. "Parents are supposed to know all about their kids, right? And I don't know anything…"

"Well that's silly!" Tai exclaimed. Blinking, Nancy looked up at him. "Well, see, even I don't know all there is to know about him. Knowledge doesn't play a big role in relationships with people." He told her. "Meaning that it doesn't matter how much you know about the person, it matters if you care enough to find that stuff out. If you love him like a parent, it doesn't matter if you don't even know his name." Suddenly Tai blushed again and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "That… probably didn't make any sense, huh?" he asked.

The adult just stared. Finally she shook her head. "No, I think… I think it made perfect sense." She admitted.

Encouraged, Tai looked up. He smiled, a smile that you would expect from an eight year old. He looked completely carefree, and suspiciously spontaneous. "Plus, you hang out with him enough and you'll learn something new every day. Today… well, isn't his friend coming today? That Allen guy?" suddenly Tai frowned, thinking. "He did say something like that at breakfast yesterday…"

Nancy blinked at him. "So… you don't know who Allen is either?" She asked, slightly disappointed, but mostly confused.

Tai looked up at her and shook his head. "No. why? I haven't met hardly any of Matt's other friends. Why would I know about an Allen?"

"Well," Nancy sighed. "No one I've talked to knows who he is, either. Not even Richard…" the adult leaned back on her heels. "But that's not exactly a surprise, either."

Tai looked at her, a smile in his eyes, but the smile didn't reach down to his lips. It was almost as though he was amused by her comment. Again, Nancy was reminded of Matt's… er… eccentric personality. She sighed. "You know, that Gatomon was right. You do act like Matt. Poor thing…"

The smile didn't go away. Instead, it tugged at his lips, giving him a smirk. "Well, yes. Gatomon's usually right. But you know… I feel that you might just learn something important about Matt today." Nancy blinked at him as he spoke. "That _is_ what you wanted, right?"

With that comment, the almost-sarcastic look dropped from Tai's face to be replaced by the immature, carefree one he had on earlier. "Anyway… I'd better go. Kari said she wanted to talk to me…" he picked up his juice glass and headed out the door. With one last smile, he left Nancy, who was now standing alone in the kitchen, thinking.

The adult glanced at the door that Tai had left out of, then to her feet. Frowning, she shifted her stance, and looked up at the ceiling uncomfortably.

"Well that's what I _thought _I wanted…"

-

* * *

-

"Ok, Sora?" Matt's voice called to her. The girl was sitting upright on her beanbag chair, taking all of what he'd just explained to her in. "Ok? Please don't tell the others…" he pleaded to her.

Sora looked at him, her eyes unreadable. Slowly she stood up. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the window, her shoes rhythmic and steady. She reached the windowsill, looking out. The windowsill had a bench seat, one she was tempted to sit in and just think for a while, but that wouldn't do. Matt was waiting for her answer, sitting on the bed. And if she didn't say anything, he'd probably think she hated him or something. A cloud strayed across the sun, making the light around them flicker and dim. Sora took a deep breath, steeling herself, before turning to Matt.

Anxious eyes looked up at her from the bed on the floor. Matt's perfect hair fell into his eyes, accenting their nervous blue color. His knees were pulled up to his chest, his hands supported a death grip on his ankles, locking him into position. She'd never seen his face so full of expression—nervous expression, but expression all the same.

"Well, you have to tell the others." Sora said as evenly as she could. It was the first thing she had to say, before anything else. Looking at him again, she noticed he was gazing at the floor.

Finally Matt released his ankles and groaned, like a machine that hadn't been working for years and was now rusted over. He eased out of his tense position, laying back on his bed. "I know, I know… I just… need some time to relax right now…" he breathed out, closing his eyes and massaging his temples with one hand. After a minute of silence he tiredly opened his eyes and turned his head, looking underneath his hand at Sora.

"And I DO want to be the one to tell them." He added slowly.

At this comment, Sora relaxed, sighing in relief. She carefully walked over to Matt's bed, sitting on the edge. "Well, that's good. I didn't want to have to tell them anyway."

"Tell me about it." Matt groaned.

Sora frowned worriedly. "Tired?"

"Impossibly." Matt answered. "But that's a good thing… then I won't fall asleep." He paused. "Well, not by accident, anyway. That's the important thing."

Sora gazed at him. Abruptly, she pushed herself into a cross legged position. "Well, later, we're going to have to talk more."

"No," Matt corrected. "Later, you and _Allen _will have to talk more. I'm beat."

Sora stuck her tongue out at him. "You know… you know… Part of me wishes… that you hadn't told me all this…"

Matt pushed himself up to look at her eyes. "But you're the one who asked. No complaining." He said, and in one fake, rehearsed action, he stuck his nose into the air indignantly and closed his eyes; a self-mocking motion.

Smiling, Sora leaned in and ruffled his hair, making him squawk in protest. "…But part of me knows that if I hadn't asked, it'd still be a problem. Right?" she released his now-mussed hair and leaned back, and Matt's hands shot up to his perfectly ruined hairstyle. He looked at her, eyebrow raised, before breaking the eye contact to stare at the floor.

"Well…"

Suddenly a pair of digidestined burst into the room. "Sora, Sora, come quick!" Joe did what Matt called his 'nervous dance' around in a circle. "Geez, Gatomon said that Tai's acting like Matt, and he's talking like him too, and I think she just went out to dig a grave for one of—Hi Matt… didn't see you there…"

Matt cocked his head, smiling at the new playfulness that had entered his dreary room. "Oh, and what, may I ask, is the catastrophe?" he asked in a light voice. "From my vantage point, if there's another Matt here, you should be celebrating and worshiping your god. I mean, Gods. If there are two of us…" he trailed off suggestively.

Mimi and Palmon had come in right behind Joe. Palmon took a seat at Mimi's feet. Mimi herself smiled sweetly and looked over Joe's shoulder at the two sitting on the bed. "He stole your smirk." Mimi added to Joe's description.

"He did _WHAT?!" _Matt demanded in false anger, shooting to his feet. "Oh, he'll pay for this…" pausing, he turned thoughtful. Glancing down at Sora, he snatched up her hand and swept her to her feet, twirling her as though they were dancing. "BUT! Until I reclaim my smirk, I must obtain a new one. How's this, my queen?" he plastered on an overly charming smile, batting his eyelashes and making the smile as cute as an Ishida can get it. Which, Sora had to admit, was pretty cute indeed.

"Little less on the eyelash batting and you're good, My King." Sora advised, trying to rid herself of that butterfly feeling that was rising from her stomach. She reached up to muss his hair again, but Matt put a hand over it, guarding his precious golden locks with one of his hands.

Joe blinked at his friends. They were flirting with each other. _'Hoo boy. What a time to walk in on them…'_ Joe thought darkly, images of what they might've been doing rising in his head. He pressed them down with a furious blush, and another thought came to his head. "Oh yeah, and we're gonna miss lunch."

Sora and Matt's heads snapped up in shock, looking at him suddenly. Sora grabbed Matt's wrist and dragged him to the door. "Oh, _convenient _that you _forgot_ to mention that!" she glowered at him, bolting down the hallway to the kitchen and leaving the two messengers in the room. The door creaked shut behind them.

Joe stared at the door. "What just happened?" He asked his companion.

Mimi turned to look at him. "Oh, that blur with the orange hair? That was Sora." She told him, smirking.

"Now don't you start acting like Matt too." Joe ordered her. "One Matt is too much already!"

"Oh, you're no fun." Mimi smiled at him.

"But don't you get it?" Joe stammered. "They were… they were…"

"Flirting. I know." Mimi sighed. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed. They HAVE been doing it for a while. Just not so…"

"Blatantly."

"Ghezunetight."

Joe sighed, knowing Mimi was joking. "You're never serious."

"Not since I've caught the new trend!" she agreed.

"The new trend?"

"Acting like Matt." Mimi informed him, making Joe groan. Inspecting him head to toe, Mimi grinned, trying to keep it in the form of Matt's smirk. She loved antagonizing Joe. There was just something about it that was so intoxicating, being with him, being interactive with him. Sometimes it was just too much. Suddenly, she pat Joe on the back. "Oh, ok. I'll stop. But only for you. And we'd better get down to lunch."

Joe looked at her sideways. "If I know Matt, that would be the sort of thing he'd say before he began bugging me again." He said, suspicion evident in his voice.

"Well, then."

"NO MORE MATT IMPERSONATING!" Joe cried, covering his ears.

Mimi looked over at him, smiling broadly. Joe looked at her as well, noticing that it wasn't a smirk. He uncovered his ears and raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she was done.

"You're sorta cute like that, Joe." Mimi laughed, trotting to the door. "C'mon, let's go!" she called to him, and left. Joe stood up, completely dazed by what she'd said. Palmon left after her master, and Joe was left surveying the room.

"Huh?" he asked.

-

* * *

-

Out in the hallway, Matt was being dragged by the hand unmercifully by Sora. She was in a rush to get to lunch. Quickly Matt stretched his uncaptive hand to grab Sora's arm. When he did this, she stopped. "Matt?" she asked, frowning. It was then that Matt realized he felt extremely nervous. He looked down, trying to regain his composure.

"Um… Sora? You know… You aren't going to tell anyone, right?" he asked quickly.

Sora blinked, then looked down as well. "No, I guess I wont." She admitted. Looking up, she added with some force, "But you'd better not forget your promise!"

"Ok, Ok!" Matt assured her. "I will tell them."

"When?" she demanded.

"Right after dinner."

Sora's mouth fell open. "Already?" she asked, shocked.

Blushing, Matt shifted his stance. "Well, yeah, of course. I mean, Allen is coming around dinnertime, so, after dinner, I'll have to tell you."

Sora frowned. "You will?"

"Because…" Matt bit his lip. "I kind of asked him to tell you all, if I couldn't get it out. He's probably going to think he has to. But I want to be the one to tell my friends. In my heart, I know that much."

Sora nodded, understanding. "Oh, alright. Just… if you chicken out…!" she trailed off.

"Chicken…" Matt repeated. Suddenly his stomach growled. "Uh… Geez…"

"LUNCH!" suddenly a voice broke through, and Mimi (who'd finally caught up to them,) began pushing them in the direction of the kitchen. "Slackers! Slowpokes! Why are you still standing here? Get moving so we can eat!" she said.

Sora sighed and Matt smiled, enjoying the interruption. They'd talk later, but right now, they were hungry. After all, the serious stuff could wait. It always did.

-

* * *

-

After eating, everyone was helping clean up. Nancy and Rachel were washing the dishes, and Matt and Izzy were hauling the dishes to their mothers. Most of the other digidestined were putting the unfinished food back into the fridge, and the adults were wiping down the tables.

Matt came up nervously to his mother. Gabumon was following closely behind with a stack of dishes in his arms. He handed them to Rachel, Izzy's mom, and went to go get more. Matt stood in front of his mother, who was in the middle of washing a plate. "Mom?" he asked. Nancy turned to take the plates from him, but the boy hugged them to his chest. "Mom, listen. I told you already, but Allen's coming today, and he has to… talk… to you…"

Nancy nodded to show she understood. She tried again to take the dishes, but her son began again. "He'll be here soon, and he'll probably want to talk to Dad, but I want you to listen too. And anyone else who wants to listen is fine, but you have to listen when he talks."

"Matt, I understand. I'll pay attention. Give me the dishes now, please?"

The boy handed them over. "I'll want to talk to my friends around then, so you have to listen to Allen." He repeated. Then he walked away.

Nancy quickly did the dishes. She was done almost as fast as she had started. The woman liked to be efficient. She looked over to the table, finding everyone else finishing up. Rachel, beside her, smiled. "You're fast. So what was your son saying?"

"He said I should listen to his friend Allen when he comes later." Nancy recited obediently.

Rachel sighed, leaning against the sink. "'Allen'? Mr. Mysterious who called last?" she asked.

"Seems to be" Nancy provided.

Just then, Gennai walked into the room. He surveyed the kitchen. "Well, nice and clean. How nice to have helpers nowadays." He said to himself. Then he turned to Yamato. "By the way, your friend's walking up the entrance. I'm guessing he'll be here pretty darn soon." He informed the boy.

Excited, Matt grinned wickedly. "Really? He's close?" he asked, and a doorbell rang from overhead. "He's here!"

Matt dashed out of the room, followed closely by Sora. The other digidestined made their way after their friend, but didn't bother running. They found Matt and Sora in the entryway, Matt was busy undoing one of the three locks on the doors. When it clicked, he swung the door open enthusiastically. "Yes! Allen, it _is _you!" the boy laughed, throwing himself onto him.

The digidestined's jaws dropped. There was a gigantic man standing in the doorway. His face was large and had a square shape, and he was a full head taller than Richard Ishida… which made him very tall indeed. The man had energetic green eyes and a sly smile, similar to Matt's.

"_This _is Allen?" Sora was also gaping at how tall the man was. "You're a mountain! How can anyone grow so tall?" she asked, then blushed brightly. "Ah, sorry…"

"Red hair, blue hat… you're Sora, right?" the girl blushed even deeper. "He talked about you a lot last session. And then _you…_" he turned to Gabumon, who was holding the door open. "_You _must be Gabumon. Or is that Tsunomon?" he asked, putting a finger to his lips and thinking.

Matt popped his face out into the other's vision, resting his chin on the adult's shoulders. "No, you had it right the first time. Gabumon. Get it straight, get it straight! And while you're working on that, that's Biyomon, Palmon…" he started listing off the other digimon. When Allen began to look confused, Matt smiled. The other digidestined just stared. They couldn't believe how childish their friend was acting.

Around an _adult. _

"You really are acting weird, Matt." Izzy informed him. "I didn't think you even LIKED adults."

"He's practically family, the time we spend together." The other boy scoffed.

Allen was about to speak, but then he realized what Matt had just said. "Why do you _always _copy what I'm about to say?" he sighed.

"Because you're so predictable." He laughed. "Tai, this is the guy I told you about, who got front row seats to that one soccer game you keep drooling over? That's Tai." He told the adult, pointing to his friend.

Allen reached out and shook the boy's hand. "He speaks highly of you." Allen told Tai.

Tai blushed furiously. "He _does?!" _

Matt grinned evilly. "So, you got all that? Speaking of which, have you got…" at this, Allen rolled his eyes and produced a large black book bag from among his luggage. "Alright!" Matt snatched it from the man and slid from his shoulders. He took a quick peek inside, counting whatever was in there. When he was satisfied, he looked back up to Allen. "I'm going to have to take this upstairs, you know." He informed the man. "But the talking will be after dinner later."

Allen facepalmed at that comment. Matt just shrugged. "You _knew _it would come to this. You told me yourself. So get to know my other friends, here. Later." In a slight change of mood, Matt shot down the hallway, slinging the backpack over his shoulder as he ran.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Allen called after him. "Don't RUN!"

Matt slowed to a walk for a second, reaching the stairway. He looked back to see Allen watching him. He obediently walked slowly to the stairs and took a step, glanced back to the giant adult, then darted up the stairs, laughing. "I _said…_" the adult began, but gave up when he could no longer see the kid.

"Never mind him, he's always like that." Sora approached the man. "So… you're Allen?" she asked hesitantly. "He's been talking about you for the past day or two."

"So I guess you know all about me, then," Allen raised his eyebrow, as though he wasn't expecting the answer to be 'yes'.

Sora raised her own eyebrow. "Nope, you've pretty much been the 'mister mysterious' around here. No one can quite figure out what he was talking about." She shrugged.

Izzy tapped his chin. "Matt wasn't very clear on why you were coming. But he seems attached to you, at any rate," he assumed, holding out his hand. "I'm Izzy, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Allen replied, shaking the gloved hand.

"Call me Kari!" the digidestined of light piped up from the back, waving at him.

"I'm Joe," Joe said, approaching Allen. "Matt probably didn't mention me, though…"

Allen shook his head. "Oh, no, I believe that he mentioned all of you," he said, nodding. "He told me everything—all about the digital world and the digimon and the weird snowing thing at your campsite… at the time, I halfway thought he was kidding, but after the whole digimon-taking-over-the-city thing, I realized he had to have been right," the man sighed.

Taichi blinked, surprised. "Wait, he told you all of that _before _the digiworld was revealed?" he asked, his jaw dropping. "I can't believe he'd tell!"

Allen shrugged, standing straighter. "Why? Yamato tells me everything."

"Wowww…" was all Tai could say.

Izzy shrugged, blushing lightly. "We… sort of have a hard time getting him to open up to us, really," the kid admitted.

"I know," Allen gave them a smile. "He doesn't open up to a lot of people… it almost makes me feel honored, that he opens up to me. Speaking of which… are Matt's parents around?" he asked, glancing his surroundings.

"Mom 'n Dad are waiting in the kitchen," Tk said, jumping in place to catch Allen's attention. "We just had lunch, so they were finishing cleaning up while we met you at the door."

Allen smiled at him. "And you are…?"

"I'm Tk!" the kid beamed at him.

"Matt's younger brother?" Allen blinked, surprised. "I didn't expect to be meeting _you_ here. He talks about you sometimes." The man commented, following the short child into the kitchen.

Once they walked in, the adult's heads turned. Izzy's dad, who was shuffling some papers, stared when they walked in, letting the papers slide down onto the table again. Nancy stopped chewing on a leftover breadstick that she'd found while cleaning up, and her ex husband stopped drying plates momentarily. They all stared at the gigantic human that had just walked through the door.

"you're, uh… big…" Chris, Izzy's dad, said at last.

"No, I'm Allen," the man corrected him with a smirk. Nancy blinked—his sarcasm reminded her of Matt.

"So _you're _the mystery man that called a few days ago," she said, trying to stop staring at him. Really, she'd never seen anyone so tall. "Matt's been… mentioning you lately."

The man rubbed the back of his neck with a large hand. "Good. I didn't want to drop in on you all unexpectedly," he said politely. "But really, it would be just like Yama to not mention I was coming, so I wasn't really sure."

"He said… that you wanted to talk to me, or something," Nancy commented.

At this, Allen let out a sigh, much to many of the kids' surprise. "I figured he hadn't told you yet," the man groaned. "Apparently, he wants our little chat to take place after dinner."

Nancy nodded, and Tk looked around. "Well, if you're going to be here for a while, why don't we do something until dinner?" he asked, pausing. "I got it! Let's play a game!"

"A game?" Joe asked, giving the eight-year-old a look. "Allen's an adult."

"I like games, though," Allen gave them a shrug. "What kind? I'm sure Matt'll be busy for a bit." He glanced up the staircase as he spoke.

"Ah, Matt doesn't really like games. He likes to watch, usually." Tk gave a shrug. "But we could play… how about twister?" the kid asked.

"Nuh-uh," Sora shook her head. "I'll be out in less than one turn!"

"You're exaggerating!" Tai waved her concerns away. He gave her a sly look. "Or are you just _chicken?" _he sang suggestively.

Sora balked. "I am _not _chicken!"

"Then it's settled, you'll play!" he exclaimed back, clapping his hands together.

"I never said-!" Sora began, but stopped. "Oh, fine, but I know I won't win!"

"Should I change?" Mimi asked, looking down at her skirt.

Joe nodded. "That… would probably be a good idea." He agreed. He looked around as Mimi left the kitchen for the upstairs. "Say, does this place even _have _a twister board?" he asked, giving Tk a look. He obviously didn't believe it.

"I checked." Tk nodded. "Kari and I found it in that place where all the games are kept. Didn't you see it when you started that game of chess with Izzy?" he asked, making the others smirk; they remembered that game with a _very _clear memory.

Joe remembered too, and blushed vividly. "I… wasn't the one who got the game board out." He said quickly.

"I wonder if Rachel wants to play…" Chris wondered aloud, naming his wife. He looked around, then walked out the door to look for her. "Don't start without me!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Tai called back as he left. the digidestined leader motioned to another door, one that led to the leisure rooms. "Shall we?"

"I'll be there in a second. I figure that'll be some game to watch," Richard commented, going back to his earlier task of drying plates.

Sora sighed in relief. "So I won't be the only one sitting out once I fail," she said to herself.

Joe turned to look at her as they left the kitchen. "You do realize that if you keep thinking you're going to lose, you _will _lose, right?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look behind his glasses.

"I'll take my chances," Sora retorted, folding her arms. "And I'll also put my money on the fact that you're going to be one of the first ones sitting out with me."

Joe gave her a startled look. "Why do you think that?" he asked, earning "looks" from the other kids present.

"Because you're a klutz, obviously," Izzy offered frankly with a shrug.

"If I were Sora, that's what I'd guess too," Nancy gave him an apologetic look. The woman had followed them out of the kitchen, tagging along, and had decided to put her two cents into the conversation. "It just seems like the logical answer."

Defiantly, Joe folded his arms over his chest. "Well I'll have you know that I'm fairly good at twister," he stated. "And don't you forget it."

"Forget it? Let's see you _prove _it first," Tai said, putting an arm around the older boy's shoulders and grinning wickedly.

Joe hesitated, then re-assumed his earlier confidence. "I will. And believe me, you're going to regret assuming I'm bad at twister!" he stated.

-

* * *

-

Actually, it was true. Joe was a _very _good twister player.

Even though most people were still in the game, it was clear that Joe had the advantage. No one had considered that he had the longest arms and legs of any of the children, and that he was skinnier than most of the adults, giving him more of a range to complete the 'task' the caller gave them of reaching the colored orbs, and also giving him the ability to squeeze through tight cracks in the crowd.

Sora watched them play from the sidelines. As predicted, she'd gone out in the third round, when left-hand-green had been called. Clearly, she had no gift at this game whatsoever.

As she watched, bored, random thoughts popped up in her head. Her conversation with Matt rose up in her mind, creating doubtful questions. Would he really tell his family all of that? Would he really tell his friends?

It seemed like a big secret to keep, much less to _tell. _Honestly, she couldn't believe the news herself. It almost seemed like a dream, or a joke that Matt was playing on her. After all, no one could keep _that _kind of secret for long.

A crash broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Before her, she saw two people who'd fallen on the twister game. One was Rachel, (Izzy's mom,) and the newcomer, Allen.

Both sat up with a blush. "Whoops," Rachel commented, sighing. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Allen waved her apology away. "It's a game. Besides, you couldn't avoid that," he commented. Sora guessed that the two must've run into one another and fallen.

The two adults slid out from the group, as they were now out of the game. Rachel went to sit on a nearby stool, whereas Allen came and sat right by Sora on the couch that the girl had made herself comfortable on. "Mind if I sit?" he asked.

Sora blinked up at him. Finally she shook her head, and the man took a seat, eyes watching the game, which had now resumed. She studied him, wondering if she should ask him about Matt. Honestly, he was probably the only one that could answer her questions right now. In a hushed tone, she called to him.

"Matt told me about you," she told him quietly, and the man beside her blinked.

Allen sat straighter, looking at the girl questioningly. "Did he now?"

"Dr. Allen Rider, lives in Kyoto. Has a wife but no children. Matt said he's known you for a few years, even before his parents got a divorce." She explained to him, not really meeting his eyes. "Matt said you two were close because of the…" she fell silent momentarily. "It's not true, is it?" she blurted out suddenly.

Allen blinked at the sudden question. "Not true?" he repeated.

"What Matt said. It can't be true. He had to have been joking," Sora decided, looking at him earnestly. "Right? He was joking. _Tell _me he was joking."

Beside her, Allen's eyes opened wide in shock. "He actually _told _you everything? _Everything?" _he demanded softly in disbelief, now ignoring the game.

When the man avoided her question, Sora let out a sigh. "He did," the girl gave him a shrug, leaning back into the couch. "But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it."

The man shook his head, leaning back into the couch as well. his eyes seemed distant as he recalled a memory, focusing on an image in his mind that Sora could not see. "I'd imagine not," he answered her softly. "If Yamato told you what I _think _he told you… then no, he wasn't lying." The man shook his head. "I really can't believe he told you. I didn't think he'd tell anybody."

Sora looked down, thinking. "He's going to tell the rest of them," she assured the man. "Tonight before dinner. He'll tell the rest of _us." _

"Meaning his friends, not his family." Allen groaned, rubbing his temples.

"He's closer with us than he is to his parents," Sora pointed out. "You shouldn't be surprised that we're going to be the first to know his secret."

Allen shrugged, not really agreeing with her. "He's known you for less time, though. I had _thought _that he already told his father." Allen muttered quietly, glancing at the place where Richard Ishida stood, watching the game. "I even called his house and left a message on the answering machine. But Richard never got that message. Matt's… not to keen on letting his family know about it."

Sora remained silent, thoughts roaming back to Matt. She already knew what 'it' was, and if Sora was sure that if she were in Matt's shoes, she'd feel the same way. With a sigh, she let her eyes fall on Allen again. "I guess now's not the time to be talking about that," she gave him a shrug. "I just… didn't want it to be true."

Allen sighed as well. "I know. No one wants it to be true." He told her. "We just have to deal with it when we deal with it."

"Right," Sora took a deep breath, putting the bad thoughts to the back of her mind. Instead of worrying about it, she turned to watch the twister game just in time to see Tai slip and do a summersault off of the board. The action made her burst out laughing, as others who were still in the game bit their lips. If they laughed now, chances are, they'd end up on the floor just like Tai did.

Tai gave a groan, standing up and making his way over to Sora. "Well, it's official. I'm a klutz." He told the giggling girl, sitting by her.

Sora let her laugh die down, watching the game. There was nothing she could do about Matt, after all. Why not enjoy the time while they had it? After all, Matt had ignored the serious things for years, so she could ignore it until at least after dinner.

She wasn't looking forward to that, anyway.

-

* * *

-

They played three twister games before dinnertime. Joe won two of them, much to everyone's surprise, and Izzy's mother, Rachel, won the last one. Sora had managed to be the first one out every time.

Of course, after that entertaining sight, people were hungrier than usual. When they walked into the kitchen, they found a pleasant surprise; the food was already on the table. While the group had been playing the game, Matt and everyone's digimon had been preparing the dinner. When they walked in, Matt turned and smirked.

"Well, you all look tired," he mentioned wryly. "Bet that you're hungry, huh?"

the kids nodded, but Richard looked suspiciously at his son. "What's with you? You _never _dirty your hands setting the table. At least not by yourself."

Matt beamed. "Glad you asked! See, since _we _set the table for you," he motioned around the room, getting Gabumon, Agumon and Biyomon to grin, "That means _you _all have to clean the table afterwards."

The news made most of the group groan. "Hey, it is fair," he said, giving a smile. "Ok, it's not like I expect my friends to do that, but isn't that just common courtesy, for an adult?" he asked, looking at his parents, and his friend's parents. It was slightly surprising; they didn't think he'd pull that card on them. In Japanese culture, most of the time the children didn't have to set _or _clear the table, or many other chores like that. The fact that the digidestined actually helped out was a rarity that was just happening because the time in the digital world had made them more responsible.

Richard sighed, knowing he'd been backed into a corner. "Fine." He mumbled grudgingly. "I'll help clean up after dinner in your place."

At this, Matt gave a genuine smile. "Thanks."

Allen came around the group to look at Matt. "You're just trying to put off the talk, aren't you?" he asked.

"You bet!" Matt called back, merrily going back to setting the table. The reply made Allen (and Sora,) groan. Yamato put the bowl he'd been carrying down onto the table, something occurring to him. "Oh, and guys," he turned to his friends. "This is to Tai and everybody. After dinner, we really _do _need to talk."

Sora blinked at him, then over to Tai. Tai blinked at the comment. "You mean just us?" he motioned to the kids. When Matt nodded, Tai smiled. "All right. About what?"

There was a moment of silence, and Matt just shrugged. "Can't say."

Gennai chose that moment to enter through the door, carrying what seemed to be the last plate of food. "Food's on, time to eat!" he called, and everyone gathered around the table. Matt did a quick count to see if he forgot anything, disappearing into the kitchen for a moment to get salt and pepper shakers that were not on the table yet.

Sora took a seat, saving one for Matt once he got back. She eyed the food, her stomach growling. Others took their seats, though there was some fuss; Tai and Tk were arguing who would sit next to Allen, who'd chosen a spot on the other side of Matt's saved chair.

"I'm older, so I should be allowed to sit there!" Tai exclaimed, pointing to the free chair beside Allen.

"Well, Allen's my brother's friend, so I say it's _my _seat!" Tk countered.

"Yeah?" Tai paused, trying to come up with a better argument. "Well, Allen's my _friend's _friend, so _I _should sit next to him! And I'm older!" he repeated.

"But I'm younger!" Tk said back, countering Tai's remark.

Kari made her way over there, looking between the kids. "What are you two bickering about?" she asked, her voice scolding.

Each pointed to one another. "He says I can't sit by Allen!" they both exclaimed at the same time.

"Why are you getting into a fight over that? We barely know him," Kari pointed out.

Tai paused, not really knowing the answer. Tk seemed to know, though. "Because Allen's the new guy! I'll bet he tells good stories!" the boy exclaimed with a grin.

The digidestined leader jumped forward. "Well, I figured that he probably had some questions about the digital world, and I'd tell him all about it!"

The door to the kitchen swung open, revealing Matt with the numerous salt and pepper shakers. "Oh, and by that I suppose you mean 'tell him all about _our _adventures', right?" Matt gave him a smirk, distributing the condiments he held in his hand along the table. "You know, you could just both sit next to him. Why don't you…" the blonde finished putting the salt and pepper on the table and came up beside Allen, noticing that between him and Sora was an empty chair. It clicked; Sora had saved a single chair for him, and Allen was probably sitting on the other side. "Oh."

Allen looked wryly up at Matt. "You don't actually expect me to leave you alone during supper, do you?" he asked with a grin. "You never eat your vegetables."

Matt scrunched up his nose. "'never eat my vegetables'?" he repeated. "Honestly, what I eat and how much of it isn't really your business. What are you, my mother?" the boy blinked at his own question, then groaned, already knowing Allen's answer.

"Well, I could be, you never know," Allen smirked, and Sora giggled.

Matt hung his head. "Okay, hello? Why is everyone saying that? Everyone's acting like my mother! First mom, then Gennai, then Sora, now you… I can take care of myself, you know!"

"riiiight." Allen gave him another smirk, pointing to the chair. "Sit."

With a groan of protest, Matt sank into his seat as Taichi and Takaru began arguing again. "I say it's my seat!"

"Yeah, well, I say it's mine!"

Kari looked at her brother, then at Tk. "Well, I say it's _my _seat." she said flatly.

Both pairs of eyes snapped over to her figure as she crawled into the seat next to Allen. The size difference between her and Allen was really quite a sight, and Sora giggled at the thought. Tai and Tk were busy trying to talk her out of sitting there.

"But Ka-ri!" Tk whined.

"That was supposed to be my seat!" Tai stared in disbelief.

Kari turned her sights on them. "Well, you both should know better. Besides, there's more room on the other side of the table!" she pointed. "what's wrong with those seats?"

Tai paused, looking at the chairs. "Ummm….."

"I guess that could work," Tk sighed, going around.

Allen looked down to her. "Does this happen often?" he asked, watching as Tai made the trip around to the other side of the table.

"All the time," Kari answered for him.

The adult smiled. He had a feeling that this girl was really something special. "Do you always have to break up the fights?"

"No…" Kari shrugged, taking some food from in front of her. Others at the table had already started eating. "But Tai—he's my brother, you know—is kind of a hothead. He argues with Matt sometimes."

Tk, from the other side of the table, rolled his eyes. "That was nothing, Kari," the kid scolded. "You should've seen them _before _you joined the team. They were bickering left and right!"

"Oh?" Allen's eyes strayed over to Matt, sitting beside him. The boy was already deep in conversation with Sora, and didn't realize he was the subject of the others' discussion. Absently, the blonde boy picked up a dish of string beans, taking a few. As soon as he put the bowl down, Allen calmly took it and proceeded to give Yamato another spoonful.

Matt watched the action with displeasure. "Hey!" he protested, seeing that his green-bean count had tripled.

"You're _going _to eat it, Matt," Allen ordered lightly.

The guardian of friendship head-desked. "Must you do this _every _time we eat together?!" the boy demanded. Reluctantly, he picked up a lonely green bean and began munching on it.

"So you bicker with Tai a lot, do you?" Allen asked, ignoring the youth's earlier question.

Matt looked at him, slightly startled. "Where'd you hear that?" he asked, looking at Sora for some clue. The brunet rolled her eyes and pointed across the table to Tk, who ducked his head beneath the table. "Shoulda known," Matt groaned when he saw this.

"Actually, they don't fight much any more," Sora reported back to Allen.

"Still," Allen gave Matt a look. "You should know better. Compromise is always the solution, whether you like it or not."

Matt took some food out of another dish, beginning to eat it. He slurped up a noodle, giving Allen the same look that he himself had received. "And you're one to talk," scoffed the blonde. "You remember Cornelius Mitagawa?"

The question made the adult wince. "Unfortunately. But that's a different story."

"No, it isn't. it's exactly the same." Matt asserted, taking another bite of his food.

"Who's Cornelius Mitagawa? What happened with him?" Kari asked.

Allen sat straighter, clearing his throat. He was fully prepared to defend his actions. "Well you know, it's a funny story actually…" he said, making Tk and Kari sit up brightly, light shining in their eyes. They loved a good story.

Seeing this, Matt chuckled to himself. It was going to be a pleasant dinner.

-

* * *

-

Sora caught Matt's attention after the dinner. Matt made a motion to step out in the hallway, away from any prying eyes or ears, to talk. Dinner was over, and it was time to get down to business. Dinner? It had been a good gathering, full of engaging stories and amused comments, and both kids were stuffed, but now they had more serious things to worry about.

Once in the hallway, Sora stood close to Matt, looking him straight in the eye. "You ready?" she whispered to him. Gabumon, who'd also followed them out, looked up at Matt worriedly.

Yamato let out a heavy sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. He just wanted it all to go _away. _Was that too much to ask? "As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

Sora took his hands, making the eleven-year-old look up in surprise. "You'll do _fine,_" Sora reassured, looking into his deep blue eyes.

They held this position for a moment. Matt felt his thoughts drift uncharacteristically, feeling the warmth of Sora's hands against his. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked away. "I hope so." He muttered, more to himself than to her. "I'll be upstairs in my room. Could you…?"

"Get the others?" Sora finished his open-ended question. "Sure."

She was rewarded with a grateful smile from Matt. Without another word, he turned and trudged up the staircase, Gabumon following closely behind. Watching him go, Sora felt a twinge of sadness, but brushed it away. Readying herself, she turned to the kitchen.

The girl stepped inside, and was greeted by Tai. "Ah. Sora." He commented in that strange I-just-found-the-homework-I-was-supposed-to-hand-in-three-weeks-ago-in-my-backpack tone he sometimes took. The thought made Sora grin, but she suppressed her laughter when he spoke again. "I was looking for Matt. He said something about…?" he paused, seeing the gigantic grin on Sora's face. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." The girl tried to wipe the grin off her face, only succeeding in making it wider.

"Honestly! Do I have something in my teeth?" asked the boy, licking the front of his pearly-white smile. While doing so, however, he made an even funnier face, making Sora's grin nearly turn into a laugh. "C'mon, what's up with you?"

Sora tried once again to stop grinning. _Come on, think of something serious! _She demanded herself, knowing she was grinning like a fool. It only took a second to come up with something serious, though; an image of Matt trudging up the stairs just a moment ago came to mind. The mental picture made the smile drop immediately off her face.

"Matt's upstairs." Sora answered his earlier question, completely sober now.

"well, then, we should…!" he paused, looking around. "Where did everyone else go?" he called out.

"You mean us?" his mother called from the kitchen. Matt's earlier display had, apparently, caused all the adults to do the entire cleaning job. Most of the adults were in the kitchen currently, and those that weren't were ferrying dirty dishes between the table and there.

"Looks like Allen's not going to be able to talk with Matt's parents for a while," Sora said to herself quietly.

"No, mom, I wasn't talking about you guys." Tai shook his head. "Kaarrriii! Teeeeekkkaayyy!" he called loudly.

"You don't have to shout," Tk scolded. His figure rounded the table. "Me and Kari were just talking."

"Where _is _everyone?" he asked.

Kari rounded the corner of the table as well. "Looking for Matt. Where else?" she asked. "You know, he's probably in his room, isn't he?"

"Just up there waiting with Gabumon," Sora nodded.

Tai sighed. "Looks like we're going to have to round up the others…" he groaned to himself. "All right. You have five minutes," he pointed to the three other digidestined. "Sora, you check the west area, Kari, you check outside, Tk, you check the games room, and I'll check the rooms upstairs. Ready? Break!" he shouted, mimicking a football quarterback. Obediently, the others headed off into their assigned areas of the gigantic mansion.

It took a while to round everyone up, but they managed to do it. The group stood outside Matt's door, which was shut. Sora took a moment to look at them, then let her eyes wander down the staircase. They'd taken so long to find everyone… Allen was probably talking with Matt's parents by now. The girl turned to the group. "Ok, be sensible guys." She ordered in a whisper, so Yamato wouldn't hear from inside the room. "Matt's got a secret, and you know how he is with secrets. But he wants to tell it to you guys, so don't be rude, ok? It's really hard for him."

Most of the group looked slightly surprised and/or confused, but they all nodded in agreement.

Sora stepped cautiously up to the door, knocking lightly on the wood. "Matt? We're here," she said softly. Carefully, she opened the door.

Across the room, Matt was sitting on his window seat, looking out the window. He was curled up, clutching his legs to his body. Beside him, on the floor, sat Gabumon. Matt stroked the digimon absently as he watched the outdoors. Outside, the sunlight was dying quickly, and that was the only light in the room; all of his lights were shut off. Still, the fading sunset was providing quite a vivid scene, and was enough to light the room, so no one touched the lights.

The digidestined children and a few of their digimon filed in. Many took seats on the floor in front of Matt, and Sora sat on a chair beside the boy.

"What was it you wanted to talk to us about, Matt?" tai asked once he was comfortable. Matt glanced over to where his friend sat before looking back outside. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. All the while he stroked Gabumon's fur.

"Is it really that hard to start?" Gabumon asked his human. Matt looked down and gave his digimon friend a weak smile.

"Well, you see…" Matt started, addressing the group. "I… I'm… sick."

Tai, on the floor, blinked. "Oh. Well, I hope you get better!" he said, looking over Matt. The others remained silent.

Matt flinched and looked out the window. "It's not… well… um… you see, it's a chronic disease."

"Chron.. what?" Tai asked, confused.

Joe sat up straighter, looking Matt over. "Chronic? You're joking. When'd you find this out?" he asked the blonde. Then he turned to Tai. "kron-ick. It means it's a disease that lasts for more than six months." He explained to the boy.

Matt huffed bitterly. "It _means_ I'm probably going to die with the disease." He growled, then paused. "Actually, it's more like I'm going to die _because _of it. I will _never get better._"

Joe shook his head. "Matt, come on. Not all chronic diseases are fatal. Who says you won't be cured?"

"Past references. This one's fatal." Matt cringed at how nasty that sounded.

The doctor-in-training raised a worried eyebrow, standing up. "But… ok, I'll play along. What's the disease called?" he asked. "Don't tell me it's cancer or something."

The blonde boy hugged his legs tighter. "It's… it's a rare disease. Really rare. And it's young, they don't even have a name for it. they just call it… Fraility."

At this, there was a long, drawn out silence. Tai looked up to Joe's face to find it had gone completely white. Fear flashed in the older boy's eyes. It made Tai worried… in diseases, if Joe was scared, it probably was really bad. "Joe?" the boy asked quietly.

Instead of answering, the standing boy took a step forward towards Matt. Then another, and another, until he came to stand beside him. He stared down to the younger boy. "Joking." He forced out. When Matt said nothing, Joe got even more upset. "_**Tell**_me you're _Joking. _Tell me!"

Matt looked down, ashamed. "Would I lie about this?" he asked evenly.

Another silence pursued. Joe looked one way, then the other, nervous. His hand twitched once. "Where… where did it start?" he asked cautiously.

Matt sighed. "My legs."

Instinctively, Joe raised a hand. He reached down, setting his hand on the cloth covering the boy's leg. Carefully, he began to peel it backwards to try and see the boy's skin. When Matt realized what his friend was doing, he frantically snatched his leg away and put a hand on his arm. "You really… You really don't want to see it…" he cautioned the older boy.

Joe lowered his eyes. He backed away, slowly turning to move outside the group, where he had room to pace. Everyone except Matt watched him go back and forth on the floor. Finally, when Tk started feeling dizzy, he cleared his throat. "So, Joe… what's Fraility?" he asked.

Joe stopped, facing the wall. He stood for a moment, then sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "it's a very bad disorder, Tk. It's… it's…" the boy searched for words the boy would understand. "In the human body, cells are always dying, and being replaced or repaired. Fraility is when the tissue and muscle in a certain part of the body die faster than they're repaired."

"So it's like leukemia?" Mimi asked.

"No, the blood cells don't die, just the tissue and muscle. And just in one area."

Tai looked back at Matt. "Well, I don't see how that would be a problem." He said, confused.

"It makes everything weaker. His muscle diminishes, doesn't support the bone, sometimes it makes people break bones easier, and makes it harder for them to heal." He explained. "It makes the ligaments—what holds the bones together—disappear and sprain something. The skin turns red and wears away, exposing the stuff underneath it. sometimes the skin turns black…" the boy winced. "If the disorder gets really bad…"

Matt cleared his throat. "For your information, it isn't black, not yet. And it's a disease, not a disorder."

Joe ignored the comment. "See, Tai, if Matt has it in his legs… he might loose the ability to walk, or the disorder—disease," he corrected when Matt glared at him. "The disease could spread up, to his heart or brain or lungs and wear them down, till they can't work anymore."

"So… they have to amputate his leg?" Mimi asked, horrified.

"No." Matt sighed. "They've already tried that with one person. She had it on her arm, and she wanted it cut off. So they did, and she got better, but the next month it… spread to her other arm. She died."

Izzy looked at his friend with sorrow. "I'm sorry. Did you two know each other well?" he asked.

"Well, yes. All of us knew each other. There's only been eight cases in the world, after all." Matt told him, and Izzy blinked. "Hey, I _said _it was rare. Everyone's died, though. Virginia was the first… I know I'm probably next. I've been pushing my luck…"

"Matt." The boy looked up to Joe. His voice was stern. "Matt, how long have you HAD this disease?"

the golden haired boy squirmed. "Oh, I don't really know… you see… well, about… four, five, maybe even six…" the boy trailed off.

"Six what?" Joe prompted. "Matt, come on, six what? Weeks? Months?"

Matt looked at him with weary eyes. "Years?" he supplied.

Joe just stared in disbelief. "Six… oh boy. You're not… Years? Six years? You can't…" he faltered, then tried to smile. "You must have a good immune system, Matt. You won't die because of... I mean, six years! That's longer than anybody I've heard! And… and not everyone's died, there has been one that's…" he stopped.

"I was the first one to officially contract the disease. I'm the first person who was taken to the hospital with this disease. I'm the person who's had the disease the longest, and the only one who's even slightly recovered. I'm the only one who hasn't died because of it. everyone dies after the first year. Now Allen says it's getting worse again, and… and…" Matt shook his head.

"Wait." Tai interrupted. "How does Allen play into this entire thing?"

"H-he… he's my doctor. Doctor Allen Rider? The world's leading expert on Fraility." He grinned sheepishly as Joe stared again.

"Dr. Rider? You're joking! He's a legend!" Joe exclaimed. Then, suddenly, he stopped. "Why is he _here?_"

"He's my doctor, and… he needs to talk to my parents." Matt said vaguely.

"I need more than that." Joe sighed.

Matt took a deep breath. "Let's start from the beginning. When I was six years old, I was out in a park, and got sick. I was sitting on a park bench, and Allen found me there. He was taking a break, about to go home. He saw me sitting there and asked what was wrong, I told him my legs hurt and I couldn't see. He took me to the hospital right away."

"I got better, a day later. Felt fine. I went home, and he had me monitored, see my progress. He found out that I had a new disease, one that no one heard of before. My legs were _dying _too fast, he said."

"We monitored it for three months. It got worse, but only a little. Then Virginia got it. she was from Kyoto. They'd never seen anything like it. She came up to see Allen too. But… Allen noticed her disease was dying faster than mine. He got worried, and sent the word out to other places in the world to see if anyone else knew something like this. Someone in America had just gotten it too, just the early stages. The American's was even _faster_ than Virginia's."

the boy—his name was Arnold—he had his start in his shoulder. It turned black and began wearing down his heart. Virgina got worried and had her arm amputated, but it came back right by her heart. She died a little while later, and so did Arnold, two weeks after. I stayed pretty much the same."

"Others got the disease. One in Germany, one in Canada… others that are in various countries… they all got worse and died. Then _I _started getting worse. About a year and a half ago. I was nine…"

"I was hospitalized. Allen was worried… we'd become good friends. He thought it was my time, that I'd die like the rest. But a week in the hospital, and I got better. No one had gotten better before. They thought I was different, like something was curing me, or special about my body, so everyone looked at my case."

"There WAS something different. Allen figured it out first. I was taking this drug… one he'd invented himself, see. It made the cells stop dying, and last longer, and I would recover. And… now…" Matt smiled. "There's a cure. We think, anyways. Everyone's waiting, and the testing was done… but then we came back from the digital world."

Matt's voice turned sour. "I was feeling lightheaded. I went in for a checkup, like he told me to, and afterwards, I felt a bit better. And now he calls me up to say it's getting worse again."

He hid his head in his hands. The room was silent, and they heard Matt panting slightly, as if he'd just done something really hard. Izzy looked up to him. "No problem, though, right Matt? I mean, if there's a cure…" the redhead looked up to see Matt distraught. "What's the matter?" he asked his friend.

"I need surgery."

Joe's face blanched. "It's ok, Matt, surgeries aren't that bad." He consoled, trying to hide worry from his face.

Matt huffed. "Joe, it's a new surgery, we don't know if it will go wrong, we don't know if it will work, and there's a 70 chance of _death._ There's a high chance we won't fix it. there's a chance it will cripple me, it may kill me. And it's in a hospital, and it's for a long period of time, and I don't know if I'll recover afterwards!" he cried. "I… and there's one more problem. I need parental permission. Tests are ok with out it, but my father… my mother… they have to make the decision now."

"They'll say yes, Matt, if you need it." Sora consoled.

Matt looked at her, his face bitter. "And that's where we run into the problem."

Sora was confused. He hadn't mentioned the parental permission when he described who Allen was earlier. He'd said everything else, but not that. "What's the problem, then?" she asked.

From downstairs came their answer. Richard Ishida's voice shrieked up the stairs. "Yamato Ishida, you get down here this _instant!!!" _he screamed. The children practically levitated out of their seats for a moment. They'd never heard him shout so loud. Matt buried his face in his hands again.

Sora looked at him, shocked. "Matt, y-you never… you never _told _him about the disease, did you?"

Matt was trembling.

"No, I didn't…"


	12. Growing Closer

Ch 12

Well, here's the next chapter. A full five months late. Yikes. (sorry. I guess real life got in the way…) Anyways, thanks for popping in to read even though I'm being impossibly slow about this. :sigh: but first, important things you should know;

Important note: **Matt's disease isn't real. **I made it up for this purpose. Both of my parentes are doctors, so I know enough about diseases, and what I don't know, I can ask.

Second important note: **I know all about parental consent laws. **Yes. Reading this, you'd be surprised that I'd make Matt's parents not know about his disease, or the medical treatments they might've already run on him. Two things will explain this; 1, this story evolved from a dream, and this was the most non-abstract vision I could get out of it. #2, Parental consent is in American law. They're in Japan, remember? And from what I can pull up online, Japan doesn't necisarily have those laws. (they might, but if they do they don't put much emphasis on it.) these are the only two reasons I think I can get away with Matt's 'problem'.

And yes, I know it's a stretch.

Lastly, Sorry for taking so long on the update. I'm trying to ease into this. Of course, my brain's all scrambled with my upcoming graduation and I haven't even looked at colleges… (I'm really behind, ok?) so it's not like I don't have an excuse. Even so, I'll try harder to update on a more frequent basis.

By the way, just to brag, I really, _really _like the title I chose for this chapter. Wanna know why? it points to what I want the focus of the chapter to be on.

First read, and then **T h i n k** about it.

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_Note!: There is no such thing as Digimon and therefore it is impossible that I, or anyone else for that matter, can own it/them! OKAY? I don't own Digimon!_

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Ch. 12

**Growing Closer**

There's almost nothing worse than waiting for a punishment. It's like hanging from your death on a fraying rope that looks like it's going to break any minute, and yet you've been sitting there for hours in suspense, having had your life flash by your eyes at least eight times by now, wondering _why the hell doesn't the rope just __**break**__ already? _

That was the thought that was running through Matt's mind as he stood at the top of the stairs, not really wanting to go downstairs and meet the angry face of his father. Of course, his life was flashing before his eyes for the twelfth time already—maybe it didn't count, since his life wasn't as long as, say… Allen's was at the moment. Matt was only eleven, after all. If he switched places with Allen, maybe Allen's life would've passed… maybe once or twice by now.

That thought really didn't humor him, only succeeding in making Matt's tension worse. His friends were behind him, a few asking questions that he hadn't heard, some insisting they go down and fix things. Others just fell silent, shocked. Tai, strangely, was among the latter.

Slightly worried, Matt turned to look him straight in the eye. Before he could ask any questions, Sora interrupted. "You have to go down there, Matt," she insisted.

Yamato looked away. "I don't want to." He said evenly.

"You _have _to. He's your dad and deserves an explanation," Sora pressed.

"It isn't going to end well." Matt asserted calmly, for all the good that it did. His emotions were anything but calm.

Izzy threw his arms up in the air at that moment, exasperated. He was on Sora's side, apparently. "Matt, honestly," he scolded in that way that made him sound more like a parent than a kid. "We've faced evil digimon, creatures that were trying to rip us apart, and apocolyptmon, who was trying to destroy the _world!_ Compared to that, this is cake!"

Matt turned away. "No, it's not."

"How? How can it be different?" Izzy asked.

A strange look passed over Matt's face. "Because if I lose, I have to live with it."

He had him there.

Tk stepped up beside his brother, worry showing on his face. "You do know that if you don't go down there, he'll come up _here, _right Matt?"

Of the three arguments, this one was probably the most effective. Matt looked up, instinctively starting down the staircase. "Good point." He said, but stopped at the sight of the stairs. Light was pouring upwards, and he could hear the adults waiting below.

Sora saw him hesitate, and she put a hand on his shoulder. "Is it really that hard to face them?" she asked.

Matt searched her face for a moment with his eyes. He opened his mouth, his voice a whisper. "They're angry, Sora. They're so _angry_ at me." His voice was even, but his eyes were not. In them flashed fear, apprehension. "How am I supposed to deal with that?"

Sora stopped, not knowing what to say. It was true, she could tell that Richard Ishida was nothing short of furious with his son. But she knew—oh, she just _knew—_that Matt's father was only angry because he was worried. That's how love worked. And, as the guardian of love, she would know. "He's not half as angry at you as he is _worried_," she informed her crush.

He didn't answer. How could he? Those blue eyes of his showed her that he understood, that his father was upset and worried. But she still hadn't answered his question.

"We'll be right here behind you," Tk cut in, reassuring his brother. "It's not like dad's gonna hit you or nothing!"

"Anything," Matt corrected. "He's not going to hit me or _anyth…_" he stopped short of his correction.

Sora glanced at his face, which had now taken on a slightly shocked look. With it, mixed a sort of reassurance. Somehow, in saying it out loud, he believed it. The minor relief spread over his face.

She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and he looked at her. "It'll be all right," she said.

Matt looked into her dark eyes. "I know," he said finally.

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Still, it took some major persuasion to get Matt completely down the stairs. Once he set foot down on the last flight of stairs, he might've turned around and fled back upstairs when he saw his father's stern face; the only reason he didn't do so was because his friends blocked the way.

Warily, the blonde shuffled over to where Allen and his parents stood, waiting for him. The other adults were there, too, but stayed back from the group. It was obvious that they'd also heard the conversation.

Matt paused, eyeing his father, then his mother, then Allen. Finally he turned back to Richard. "Uh… you called…?"

"About ten minutes ago," Richard replied, making Matt blush slightly red. There was a second of silence before he spoke again. "Your friend and I had a talk," he said, motioning over to Allen. "He claims to be your… doctor."

"That's right," Matt said after a second, looking over to the nearest door. Maybe he could escape before the yelling started…?

Richard studied his son. "And he also says that you are ill." He waited for a response from Matt, who didn't give one. "Well? is it true?" he pressed when his son said nothing.

"Uh…" Matt paused, looking at the ground. "Uh… n… n… nnnn-yes…" he managed to say after glancing at Allen. "Yes it's true."

Richard paused, thinking for a moment. "So you're ill." He repeated.

"Uh, yes."

His father tapped his foot, crossing his arms. He seemed to be considering something. "And he added that you _have _been ill for about five or six years." He said finally, not sure what else to say.

Matt could only nod. His father stared him down. "I don't… you never mentioned this to me," he said finally.

"You were always gone, or busy, or something." Matt tried to explain.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I was gone all the time, you _could've _said something," he contradicted.

"But I…" Matt paused. "Maybe."

"_Maybe?" _Richard asked, his voice rising. "You think that you could've _maybe _let me know that you were _fatally ill?_"

Matt felt an unreasonable anger start to rise up in his mind. As it started to replace his fear, he tried to suppress it; he knew it wasn't fair to be angry at his father, because clearly he'd kept the illness a secret from him. But it rose up all the same, no matter what Matt reasoned.

"So I didn't tell you, big deal," Matt said, clenching his fists. He tried to hold himself back, but he couldn't. "I managed it by myself up until now!"

"But we're your parents," Nancy, his mother, jumped into the conversation. She gave Matt a look, one that looked worried and at the same time offended. "You're… _our _child. If you're sick, we should know!"

Her presence only seemed to make Matt angrier. Matt crossed his arms on his chest, looking down, as his father started to speak again. "She has a point, Matt! If you were to fall sick when I was gone, what would happen? I could've stayed home for your treatments, help you figure out why you were sick and help you get better!" Matt glared at him through blue eyes. "I _would have!" _he insisted.

"Right." Matt said, looking away. "You probably would have. But you know _now, _what's the difference if I didn't tell you?"

"It would've been nice to know if you were going to die!" Richard said, his voice wavering when he spoke. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Believe it or not, I really _do _care what happens to you!"

"So do I," Nancy said, looking him over. "You don't think that you could've told _me? _After all, _I _wasn't always gone," she said.

Matt, who seemed to be calming down slightly when his father talked, got angry. "You wouldn't understand," he said quietly.

Richard threw his hands up in the air. "Then explain it to us!" he exclaimed, frustrated. "Explain it to us, so that we _can _understand! Why?!" Richard demanded his son. "Why? Why hide something like this? Why didn't you just _tell_ us?"

"Because…" the child trembled in fury. It was useless to try to hold his anger back any more.

He exploded.

"**Because** **I shouldn't **_**have **_**to!**" he screamed, making both Nancy and Richard take a step back. Matt clenched his teeth, glaring at them through his cold blue eyes. "You… you guys are my parents. You're supposed to _notice _these things. Not be wrapped up in your own selfishness! But no, this whole thing just erupted around the time when you got a divorce, where you both were so _concentrated _at making each other miserable that you didn't notice _anything was WRONG WITH __**ME!**__" _

Nancy and Richard exchanged surprised looks. "Around the divorce?" she asked, looking down in guilt.

"Yes!" he snapped back. "And after the divorce? Dad goes on a _business _trip. What am I supposed to do? Call you from wherever you were? I was _six!" _Matt grabbed a fistful of his blonde hair in frustration, not even trying to calm down. "You never let me get a word in! And by the time I actually get you alone for a few hours, I can't bring myself to even mention it! Do you know how often you're home, dad? Never. You're NEVER home!"

"You could've… you could've caught me as I walked out the door! There were hundreds of times! Just because we didn't spend hours together doesn't mean we didn't see each other! Why didn't you try _then?_" Richard protested.

"I _did." _The blonde spat.

"What?"

Matt again clenched his fists. "I DID! I _did_ tell you once! You were busy reading the paper and getting out the door, and I came to you and I said "I'm sick.' And you know what you said? Do you remember?! I guess you were busy and weren't listening, because all you said was "That's nice, son." _wow, THAT _was great. Tell me, how exactly do you expect me to compete with work for your attention?!" Matt scoffed. Suddenly his jaw trembled. "It wasn't my fault. I'm always thinking, 'some other time, when it's better, some other time… when he's not so busy…'. You're _always_ busy! I just put it off, and put it off, until now, when I _have _to tell you. You have no _right_ to yell at me!"

Nancy looked at her son, about to protest. The boy caught this and rounded on her. "Don't** you **start, don't you** EVEN!"** he ordered her. "**YOU **weren't much better. YOU didn't want to come in contact with Dad. YOU didn't want to see him again. YOU knew he always worked late, and was never home on time… and you didn't even give me a way to contact you. I **knew **it would've been easier to tell you, but how could I? and by the time I was old enough to figure it out, you seemed to be no longer part of my life." He accused. "It's not all dad's fault, it's yours too! So DON'T! YOU! **START!**"

There was a very long silence as Matt caught his breath. He seemed to be tired after that rant. A thought occurred to Nancy. "But if Allen was there, why didn't you let him contact us?"

The comment threw the blonde back into a rage. "He _tried! _It's not like I was holding him back! But then I realized how much things would change if one of you knew, and I ripped up the letters and deleted the phone calls he made to the answering machine. Not like you cared to look anyways!" he yelled bitterly.

"Why did you do that, then? I would've gotten the messages sooner or later!"

Matt balled up his fist. "You're so predictable. I knew you'd yell at me, or something, or not believe them, and I didn't know what to do! What if I needed surgery like I do now, and you found out and denied that I was sick? My only hope was that you didn't know and it wouldn't come to that! Plus, you were always growing away from me, so distant, and I didn't feel like you were my father… I felt you were a stranger judging me. Just like other strangers, I didn't want you to see me weak, and on top of it all, I didn't want you to see how _**scared**_I …"

Matt's voice died in his throat, his face draining of color as he realized what he'd just said. He hid his head in his hands, taking in a deep, uneven breath. Allen, worried, set a hand on the shaking eleven year old. Matt jerked away from his touch. "I am **not** scared! I'm not going to let this stupid… _thing _beat me!" he yelled. "And you'd better not forget that!" he shouted, and then buried his face in Allen's coat.

Richard Ishida stood, dumbfounded. Everyone in the room was in shock, and no one said a word. The only sound everyone heard was Matt trying to keep from crying on his overly large friend. Gabumon, who was watching in the group by the other digidestined, came over to his partner. He stood next to the child, nuzzling Matt carefully. The boy looked down to see what was going on, and the group saw a single tear sliding down his face. Matt swatted it away angrily, kneeling to be eye level with his digimon. He hugged the doglike creature, burying his face in the digimon's soft fur coat. "Gabumon…" he whispered. "_My _Gabumon…"

Slowly, Matt regained his composure. He started breathing evenly and stopped trembling. When his father came and knelt beside him, Matt was able to look up calmly.

"Sorry…" the boy whispered to his father.

Richard shook his head. "No, you're right. _I'm _sorry. I don't have a right to yell. But Matt…" the man put a hand on his son's arm. "I want you to understand that you can tell me anything. You're family. We don't disown each other, and we don't kill each other, and we try to be understanding."

Matt wiped his eyes to make sure he wasn't crying. "It's still weird."

"I know it's weird. It's probably going to take a while for you to consider us family… but we _are_ family." Richard smiled. "Whether you like it or not."

Nancy also knelt on one knee next to him. "Yes… whether ANY of us like it or not." She glanced at her ex-husband.

Tk poked his head out behind Allen. "Don't forget me!" he cried. "I'm family too!" he came up, taking his hat off. "Aren't I?"

For the first time in what seemed to be forever, Matt grinned. He mussed his younger brother's hair. "Of course." He agreed. Turning serious, he looked at his dad. "Well, say something. Can I have…" he flinched. "Can I have the surgery or not?"

Nancy and Richard exchanged glances. "We don't know. We… we need the details before making a decision." Nancy sighed, craning her neck to look up to Allen's face. "Can we talk?"

"Certainly." Allen said, kindness in his voice. He helped Matt's parents stand, and Matt brushed away Allen's hand and stood up himself. The blonde quickly checked he wasn't crying again before turning and watching his parents and Allen go to the kitchen.

The door swung shut behind them, and Matt sighed, relieved. "I want to go to bed…" he moaned to Gabumon.

"That sounds nice." Gabumon agreed.

Sora came up to stand behind Matt. "See? That… wasn't… _so_ bad…" she stammered.

"Wasn't it?" Matt raised an eyebrow. It was obvious Sora was lying to make him feel better. "I thought I lost my temper. I didn't think I had any temper left…" the boy scanned the room, noticing that his friends looked a bit scared of him. They seemed all right.

"Yeah me neither. You with a temper? Doesn't seem right, somehow…" she trailed off when she saw her friend frown in confusion. "Something wrong, Matt?"

Yamato glanced around the room quickly, then in a full circle. "Where's Tai?" he asked.

Izzy blinked, remembering something. "Oh, he… he said he needed to go out…" the boy told Matt, frowning himself. Tai had mumbled _something _to that effect, right before the argument had started… Izzy had thought that it was weird that Tai had left right before Yamato's confrontation, but their leader had looked so pale that Izzy thought it was better just to let the guardian of courage leave the room.

"Did he really say that?" Matt asked, looking down to Agumon, who stood with the other digidestined, alone without his human partner. In a flash, a memory from earlier that day came to Yamato's mind; the picture of Tai's face right before he'd talked to his parents. Suddenly he understood. He closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "Oh no… I'd better go after him."

Sora grabbed his arm, stopping him. "But why?"

Matt hesitated, looking towards the door and then to the kitchen. Finally he sighed. "It's a thing I have to do. An important thing, Sora."

Knowing she wouldn't get a better answer than that, Sora sighed and released him. "Just be careful. And wear a coat, it's raining outside!" she demanded.

"What are you, my mother? Gennai already took that position." he said playfully, though his eyes were worried.

Sora stuck her chin out stubbornly. "Sure. Let's go with that."

Matt laughed, and walked to the storage closet where he'd left his coat. "Sure. I'll be back in a few…" he said, and with one last glance towards the kitchen, he disappeared into the dark rainstorm to find his friend.

As he'd predicted, Matt found his friend Tai outside. The bushy-haired boy was sitting on a cluster of rocks that were quite a ways away from Gennai's castle, where they were staying. Matt recognized the rocks from when he went on a walk with Sora earlier.

As Yamato approached, he slowed his pace, noticing that Tai had his back turned to him. It was impossible to read his face and tell what the younger boy was thinking. Somehow, though, Matt felt he knew what was going through Tai's mind.

The light rain fell around them as Matt stepped forward, flattening his and his companion's hair. No thunder rolled, no lightning flashed; it was a simple spring shower. There was no danger of being struck by a lightning bolt. All the same, he didn't want Tai sitting out here… he couldn't let his friend catch a cold, could he?

"Are you trying to make yourself sick?" Matt asked Tai, making the boy jump. Tai's chocolate-brown eyes turned to glare at Matt momentarily, as the blonde sat down beside him. "You're really asking for it, coming out here without a coat."

Tai didn't answer. When he said nothing, Matt looked at him steadily. "Tai?"

In response, Tai turned away from him, until they were sitting back-to-back. The action was greeted with a sigh on Matt's part.

"Am I really that hard to look at?" he asked, hanging his head.

Tai stiffened, turning abruptly to look Matt in the eye. "That's not what I meant! Not at all! I don't want you to ever think that!" he exclaimed. "It's not your illness. You're the same person you always were!"

Matt sighed, rubbing his neck. "Then what's the problem?" he asked, starting to feel cold from the rain. "Why are you upset?"

Tai hesitated, then turned away once more. "It's _not you,_" he insisted.

"Ok… It's not me," Matt repeated slowly, hoping to get Tai to say the problem. When nothing happened, the guardian of friendship couldn't help but sigh. "It's kinda hard to believe you when you don't say anything," he pointed out.

He sat back, turning his face upwards to the rain. With his own back pressed against his friend's, Matt could feel the boy stiffen and relax alternately, shifting in his spot. The brown-haired child seemed to be struggling with something, as if he didn't know what to say.

Yamato sighed, wishing his friend would quit worrying about whatever he was worried about. "My parents took it better than I thought they would," he said quietly, when Tai remained silent. He leaned back, supporting himself on Tai. Tai did the same, starting to let go of whatever was worrying him. They sat, back-to-back, staring up to the falling rain. "I could've sworn they were going to at least ground me, for keeping this a secret. Maybe they didn't say anything because I made them feel guilty—I should try that more often. Offence is the best defense, after all." He said, looking to the side.

Rain shimmered around them, plinking against the ground. Beyond that, there was a stillness in the air, one that couldn't seem to be broken easily. Even the conversation that Matt had attempted didn't hang in the air. It floated away, bringing them back to the original problem.

A sigh escaped the blonde's throat as the silence stretched. He couldn't help but feel that Tai's worry was his fault, and that Tai wasn't going to say anything for a while. Instead of speaking, he closed his eyes, listening to the rain falling. It tapped his skin, falling to the ground, soaking their seats and nourishing the grass below. The shower was innocent, childlike, seeming to wash away any blackness that the earth held…

"I didn't notice," Tai whispered, out of the quietness.

Matt blinked. "Didn't notice… that I was sick?" he asked.

He nodded, with a sigh. "We must've been in the digital world for half a year, Matt… getting up together, walking around together, fighting along side one another… how could I not have noticed?" he pressed, his voice cracking. "How? You're my friend, Matt, I might even go as far as to say that you are my _best _friend, and… and I'm supposed to _notice _these things!"

The sound of his friend's voice cracking made Matt turn around and grab Tai by the shoulders. "What are you _talking _about? Of _course _you didn't notice—I was hiding it from you, from everyone! Not to mention that it didn't give me problems while I was there, besides making me more tired than I should have been…" he trailed off, looking into Tai's eyes. It was clear that his friend didn't believe him.

The rain fell silently around them as they stopped, studying each other. It was as if they were frozen in place, both of them waiting for the other to say something. "It's not your fault," Matt repeated when Tai didn't speak.

Tai just blinked at him, then looked down. "Isn't it?" he asked quietly. "I didn't notice. You can't ignore that."

Matt sighed. "Fine! So _what_ if you didn't notice?" he pressed. "I didn't _want _you to notice—it was just too much for me to tell you. I didn't want you to think of me as some helpless, sickly little child. Because I'm not! I'm a digidestined, just like you." He asserted, with a frown. "I don't care if you didn't notice."

Tai studied him for a second. "Matt, if I was in danger, you'd jump in and help me if you could, right?" he asked, seeming to stray from the topic.

The boy paused. "Of course I would," Yamato answered slowly. "That's what friends do."

"And you're the guardian of friendship, so you should know," Tai agreed. He stopped for a second. "But you've been in danger this whole time, haven't you?"

Suddenly, the blonde saw what his friend was getting at. "Oh, Tai, don't even go there." He begged. "This is completely different."

"No." he said shortly in return. "No it's not. With that illness, you could've gotten injured and wouldn't have healed as well, or you could've gotten hurt easier than the rest of us. That illness puts you in danger, and… and I didn't _notice, _much less help you with it." His lip quivered. "What kind of friend am I, that I don't notice something like this? I must be a horribly bad friend," he sighed.

Matt blinked. "Bad friend?" he repeated, confused.

Tai nodded, wondering why the blonde was looking at him like that.

"I don't understand," Yamato said slowly, struggling with the concept. "a 'bad' friend? How can someone be a 'bad' friend? You're either a friend or you're _not _a friend—there's nothing 'bad' about it." He said quietly, looking at Tai. "And I know you're my friend, Tai."

The boy didn't look convinced yet, so Matt tried again. "Look," Matt sighed. "Let's say, supposedly, a giant evil digimon just appeared here all the sudden and abducted you. Neither Agumon or Gabumon are here, and everyone's too far away to do anything. We'd be helpless. But if that digimon abducted you and not me, and I couldn't do anything about it, would that make me a 'bad friend'?"

Tai thought about it. "No, I guess not…" he admitted.

"Exactly!" Matt exclaimed. "And this illness of mine… it's kinda like the 'evil digimon' that's trying to 'abduct' me. You can't have _done _anything about it. I had it before I even _knew _you." He pressed. "This isn't your fault. You can't feel bad about it."

Tai paused. "So, you're not angry at me for not noticing…?" he asked slowly. "We're still friends?"

"Of course we are!" came his reply.

Again, the bushy-haired child paused. "Is… is it okay if I feel upset that you're sick, then?" he asked cautiously.

Matt blinked, thinking. "Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, as long as you don't blame yourself or anything."

"Good," The chocolate-eyed boy said back, looking down. "Because I really feel upset that you're ill." He paused, then looked into his friend's blue eyes. "Are you going to be ok, Matt?" he asked.

"I… I… think so." Matt sighed heavily. "Allen says I will, anyway. And even if I'm not…" he looked into his companion's eyes.

"We'll always be friends, Tai."

-

* * *

-

It wasn't long before the children stumbled back inside Gennai's castle, out of the pouring spring rain. Sora immediately panicked and attacked them with towels, trying to dry them off before they started shivering from the cold. "Took a little longer than I thought," Matt admitted in a mumble, rubbing his hair with the towel. When he pulled the cloth off his head, Tai had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"I don't think I've ever seen your hair so bushy," he commented, chuckling a bit.

Yamato, now aware of his ruined hairdo, blushed and his hands shot upwards to straighten out the mess. "And I don't think I've ever seen _your _hair so tame," he said back, making Tai panic as well.

"My hair?" he felt upwards to find that his messy brown hair was lying flat to his head, soaked. "Gah! What the heck!" he quickly snatched a towel from Sora and rubbed his head with vigor, and when he pulled it away, his hair was almost back to normal. "Geez, that was weird—it was like I cut my hair there for a second."

"Have you ever set foot inside a barbers' shop, Tai?" Matt asked in curiosity, combing his hair with his fingers.

"Never," the chocolate-eyed boy stuck his chin out stubbornly. "And I'm proud of that fact."

"Yeah, well… if you ever..." Matt began, but his comment died in his throat as he looked behind Tai. There was a small smile on his face, but his eyes looked sad. Slowly, the others turned to see what he was looking at; it was Allen. The big man had come out of the kitchen where he and Matt's parents had been talking. Now the adult looked at the blonde, unsure of what to say.

"Matt," he said finally, quietly. "Matt, would you come here a second?"

Yamato looked down, and shed the towel that was around his shoulders. He set it on the nearby coat rack, following Allen into the kitchen. Tai glanced over to Sora. "What's going on?"

"Allen was talking to Matt's parents about getting the surgery," Sora explained, looking at the place where her blonde friend had disappeared into.

Tai looked at her, then at the door, then back to Sora. "Well, why are we standing out here, then? I want to hear!" he said, sneaking towards the kitchen door. It was obvious he was nervous; his voice was a little quieter than usual and his hands shook slightly as he cracked open the door and peered inside.

Reluctantly, Sora followed, not sure of whether or not they should be spying on Matt. She felt better in a second, though, as the other Digidestined followed Tai's lead and snuck over to the door. She noticed, with some surprise, that a few adults also crept over to look over the kids' heads into the kitchen.

Even though it was crowded, she could see Matt clearly. He was standing, with his back to them, facing Allen. Allen was quietly talking to him, using his hands as he did so to make certain gestures. The big man stopped for a moment, and he looked at Yamato. "Is that okay?" he asked. They were in the middle of their conversation.

Matt paused, clenching and unclenching his gloved hands. Finally, his voice came out, slightly higher pitch than normal. "Y-yeah, I figured as much," he said weakly. "So they said…?"

"They said yes, Matt. You knew they would." Allen paused, frowning. "Are you all right?"

"I…" The boy's face blanched slowly. It was clear that Matt was struggling with the news. "I… I need to sit…" he managed, sinking down into a chair. Allen came over and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, and Matt put his head down.

"What's up with that?" Tai whispered angrily. "Didn't you guys give him the green light for the surgery?" he hissed in Nancy's ear.

"Of course we did!" Nancy shot back, also whispering so her son wouldn't hear. "I don't understand his reaction any more than you do!"

"You'd think he'd be happy, after that rant he made." Izzy said, deep in thought.

An idea rose in Sora's mind as she watched Matt… an idea she didn't like. "Hey, what if… what if…" she fumbled, the words already sounding bitter in her mouth. "Don't you remember, that night after the earthquake? He said that he was afraid of hospitals."

Everyone turned to look at her. "You seriously think that's what this is about?" Tk asked.

"You think _that's _why Matt's freaking out?" Joe asked.

"Seems logical…" Izzy muttered.

Mimi looked over to Sora, then frowned. "So he's got to have a surgery and he's afraid of hospitals?" she summed up their problem.

"Man, that's harsh." Tai agreed. Everyone looked back into the kitchen, where Matt seemed to be lost in thought. "That must be part of the reason he was so upset… why he didn't tell his family or friends he was sick. Because he didn't _want _the surgery."

"No one wants surgery, Tai." Sora pointed out.

There was a long silence as everyone watched Matt. "It's going to be hard for him. We knew that much when he said he needed surgery. But… now we know it's going to be even more difficult." Tai sighed. Carefully, he shut the door and turned to his friends. "We need to be there for him. Me, Sora, Joe, Mimi, Tk, Izzy, Kari…" he looked down. "We all need to be there for him as friends."

Everyone in the group nodded. That was the one thing no one could deny.

* * *

**A/N: **Yup! So, who here likes cliffies? :raises hand: ...what? am I the only one? :sigh: Anyway...  
Yeah, I'm gonna have to lighten things up next chapter so that I can beat this 'drama' when we come to the climax. ne? I will try to get it up before graduation in May... but with the golf season running, I don't know how well I can keep that promise. BTW, I'm looking for a good Sorato story to get me back into this fandom--anyone know of a good one? I was looking for something humerous, less than 10,000 words, and complete, so I can read it in my off time. If you got any suggestions, please tell me! (I'm dying from writers block in this area of the fandom, here... XP)


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